By the end of this lesson you'll be able to describe your home, your neighbourhood and your town, and compare them with a place you lived in before.
Words for places
You know le quartier from the lesson on places in town, calme from the lesson on describing people, and bruyant and sale from the lesson on booking a hotel. La campagne came up in the lesson on childhood memories. Here are some more.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| le centre-ville | luh sahn-truh VEEL | the town centre |
| la banlieue | lah bahn-LYUH | the suburbs |
| le village | luh vee-LAHZH | the village |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| animé / animée | ah-nee-MAY | lively (masculine / feminine) |
| propre | PROH-pruh | clean |
| pratique | prah-TEEK | convenient, practical |
| pas cher | pah SHEHR | cheap, inexpensiveFixed phrase for now. |
| maintenant | man-tuh-NAHN | now |
These adjectives match the noun, so it's un quartier animé but une ville animée.
Mon quartier est calme et propre.
My neighbourhood is quiet and clean.
Le centre-ville est très animé.
The town centre is very lively.
J'ai trouvé un appartement pas cher en banlieue.
I found a cheap flat in the suburbs.
Building a description
You can now combine several structures in one description.
Your home. Use the words from the lesson on home and household chores, and qui, que and où from the lesson on qui, que and où.
J'habite dans un appartement qui a trois pièces.
I live in a flat that has three rooms.
Your neighbourhood. Il y a tells you what's there, and près de and loin de tell you where.
Il y a une boulangerie près de chez moi.
There's a bakery near my place.
Your town. A superlative, from the lesson on superlatives, can pick out the highlight.
C'est la plus belle ville de la région.
It's the most beautiful town in the region.
A model description
J'habite à Rennes depuis 2021. Mon appartement est au deuxième étage d'un immeuble qui est près du centre-ville. Il y a trois pièces et un petit balcon. Mon quartier est calme, mais le centre-ville est très animé. C'est la ville que je préfère. (I've lived in Rennes since 2021. My flat is on the second floor of a building that's near the town centre. There are three rooms and a small balcony. My neighbourhood is quiet, but the town centre is very lively. It's the town I prefer.)
Comparing with where you used to live
To talk about somewhere you lived before, use the imparfait from the lesson on the imparfait. Then bring in maintenant for the contrast.
Avant, j'habitais à Nantes. Maintenant, j'habite à Lille.
I used to live in Nantes. Now I live in Lille.
J'ai habité à Lyon pendant deux ans.
I lived in Lyon for two years.
Pendant and depuis come from the lesson on depuis, pendant and il y a.
A model comparison
Avant, j'habitais à Paris. C'était une grande ville, très animée, mais bruyante. Maintenant, j'habite dans un village qui est plus calme et plus propre. Il y a moins de magasins, mais les gens sont plus sympas. Je vais rester ici. (I used to live in Paris. It was a big city, very lively, but noisy. Now I live in a village that's quieter and cleaner. There are fewer shops, but the people are nicer. I'm going to stay here.)
Your turn
Write six to eight sentences about where you live now and somewhere you've lived before, or an invented place. Use at least one comparative, one superlative, and one sentence with qui, que or où.
En français
- Tu habites où maintenant ? (Where do you live now?)
- Dans un petit appartement, en banlieue. (In a small flat, in the suburbs.)
- C'est plus pratique que le centre-ville ? (Is it more convenient than the town centre?)
- Non, mais c'est plus calme et moins cher. (No, but it's quieter and cheaper.)
What's next
Next, the review of this unit brings together everything you've learned about comparing and describing.