A–B. Listening and Speaking · Listening and Speaking Across la Francophonie

Raconte ! Talking About the Past with Precise Time Expressions

A1.2 B1.2 B1.3 B1.4 B2.2About 75 minutes

Learning goals

I can tell what I did using the passé composé and the imparfait together.
I can hear the difference between j'ai parlé, je parlais and je parle.
I can use depuis, il y a, pendant and venir de to say exactly when and how long.
I can tell a short story smoothly, with fewer hesitations, and answer follow-up questions.

Words to know

la fin de semaine
The weekend, used in Québec and other parts of Canada (le week-end in France).

l'Action de grâce (f.)
Thanksgiving, the Canadian holiday in October (lahk-SYOH(N) duh GRAHSS).

depuis
For / since, with the present for something still going on: J'habite ici depuis 2022.

il y a + time
Ago (eel-YAH): il y a deux jours = two days ago.

pendant
For / during, for a finished length of time: pendant une heure.

venir de + infinitive
To have just done something: Je viens de manger. = I just ate.

bref
Anyway / in short (BREF): useful to wrap up a story.

un jeu de société
A board game.

« Pis, ta fin de semaine ? »

Every Monday morning, someone asks: Qu'est-ce que tu as fait en fin de semaine ? (In casual Québec French you might even hear Pis, ta fin de semaine ?, "So, your weekend?") Answering well means telling a mini-story: what happened, what it was like, and when.

In Grades 7 and 8 you learned to tell stories with the passé composé and the imparfait. In Grade 9 you'll make your stories more precise with four time expressions that English speakers often get wrong, and more fluent so you can tell them without long pauses.

The two past tenses, quickly

Passé composé = events: what happened, one time, finished. avoir or être + past participle.

J'ai joué au basket. · Nous avons fait un gâteau. · Elle a pris l'autobus.
Verbs of movement and change of state use être, and the participle agrees: Je suis allé(e) au cinéma. · Ils sont rentrés tard. · Elle est née en 2011.
Pronominal verbs use être too: Je me suis levé(e) à midi.
Common irregular participles: fait, pris, vu, eu, été, bu, lu, dit, écrit, mis, pu, voulu, dû.

Imparfait = the scene: background, description, feelings, what was going on, habits. Stem of nous (present) minus -ons + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Il faisait froid. · J'étais fatigué(e). (être → ét-) · On regardait un film quand...

The imparfait paints the background (a long band); the passé composé marks the events that happen in it (points on the line).

Hearing the difference

Three verbs that look almost the same:

Je parle (zhuh PARL): present, I speak.
J'ai parlé (zhay par-LAY): passé composé, I spoke.
Je parlais (zhuh par-LEH): imparfait, I was speaking / used to speak.

The é (ay) and -ais (eh) endings sound very close, and in many accents they're nearly the same. So the most reliable clue is the helper verb: if you hear j'ai (zhay), il a, on a, je suis, elle est before the verb, it's the passé composé.

So: Je mangeais (zhuh mah(n)-ZHEH) vs J'ai mangé (zhay mah(n)-ZHAY): listen for the zhay at the start.

Four time expressions that trick English speakers

1. Depuis + PRESENT = for / since (and still going on):

J'apprends le français depuis six ans. I have been learning French for six years.
J'habite à Kingston depuis 2021. I've lived in Kingston since 2021.
✗ J'ai appris le français pour six ans. English uses have been, but French uses the present because it's still true.
Question: Depuis combien de temps... ? (for how long?) · Depuis quand... ? (since when?)

2. Il y a + time = ago, with the passé composé: Je suis arrivé(e) au Canada il y a trois ans. (I arrived in Canada three years ago.)

3. Pendant + time = for a finished length of time: Hier, j'ai joué pendant deux heures. (Don't use pour here.)

4. Venir de + infinitive = to have just done something: Je viens de finir mes devoirs ! (I just finished my homework!) It uses the present of venir (je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent).

Depuis runs right up to now; il y a measures back from now; pendant is a closed block; venir de is something that happened just before now.

Speaking with fluency (la fluidité)

Fluency doesn't mean speaking fast. It means speaking smoothly, with natural pauses and few long silences. Strategies:

Use chunks. Learn whole phrases you can say without thinking: Qu'est-ce que tu as fait ? · C'était super ! · Il faisait beau, alors...
Use French fillers, not English ones. Instead of um, say euh (UH), bon (well), alors (so), en fait (actually, ah(n) FET).
Connect your ideas: d'abord, ensuite, après ça, tout à coup (suddenly), finalement, bref (anyway, in short).
If you're stuck, go around the word: C'est un truc pour... (It's a thing for...) instead of stopping.
Practise with a timer. Tell the same story three times: in 2 minutes, then 1½, then 1. It gets smoother every time.

Worked example

Let's listen to a Monday-morning conversation

Zoé and Omar talk before class in October.

Zoé : Salut Omar ! Qu'est-ce que tu as fait en fin de semaine ? Omar : Je suis allé chez mes grands-parents à Sudbury pour l'Action de grâce. Il faisait froid et il pleuvait, alors on est restés à l'intérieur. Zoé : Ah, c'était plate ? Omar : Non, pas du tout ! On jouait à un jeu de société quand, tout à coup, la lumière s'est éteinte ! Mon oncle a trouvé une lampe de poche, et on a continué à jouer pendant trois heures. Bref, c'était super. Et toi ? Zoé : Moi, je viens de commencer du bénévolat à la bibliothèque. J'y vais depuis deux semaines, le samedi matin. Omar : Cool ! Tu fais quoi, là-bas ? Zoé : J'aide avec l'heure du conte pour les petits. Il y a deux jours, j'ai lu une histoire de dragon. Les enfants ont adoré !

Events (passé composé): je suis allé, on est restés, la lumière s'est éteinte, mon oncle a trouvé, on a continué, j'ai lu, les enfants ont adoré.
Background (imparfait): il faisait froid, il pleuvait, on jouait (what was going on when the lights went out), c'était.
Time expressions: pendant trois heures (finished length), je viens de commencer (just started), depuis deux semaines + present j'y vais (still going), il y a deux jours (ago).
Casual words: plate (plat, boring), used in Québec and other parts of Canada; bref to wrap up a story.
Interaction: Zoé reacts (Ah, c'était plate ?), Omar hands over (Et toi ?), and asks a follow-up (Tu fais quoi, là-bas ?).

Translation:

Zoé: Hi Omar! What did you do this weekend? Omar: I went to my grandparents' in Sudbury for Thanksgiving. It was cold and raining, so we stayed inside. Zoé: Oh, was it boring? Omar: No, not at all! We were playing a board game when suddenly the lights went out! My uncle found a flashlight, and we kept playing for three hours. Anyway, it was great. And you? Zoé: I just started volunteering at the library. I've been going for two weeks, on Saturday mornings. Omar: Cool! What do you do there? Zoé: I help with story time for little kids. Two days ago I read a dragon story. The kids loved it!

Worked example

Let's fix the English-style time expressions

Correct each sentence: (a) J'ai joué au hockey pour cinq ans et je joue encore. (b) Je suis allé à Montréal deux ans il y a. (c) Je juste fini mon projet.

(a) Still playing → depuis + present: Je joue au hockey depuis cinq ans.
(b) Il y a goes before the time: Je suis allé à Montréal il y a deux ans.
(c) Just finished → venir de + infinitive: Je viens de finir mon projet.
Say each corrected sentence aloud twice, smoothly, as one chunk.

(a) Je joue au hockey depuis cinq ans. (b) Je suis allé à Montréal il y a deux ans. (c) Je viens de finir mon projet.

Just for fun

Why is the passé composé never alone? Because it always brings an auxiliaire with it! In French, un auxiliaire is a helping verb (avoir or être), but the word also means a helper or assistant. Every past event comes with its own personal assistant.

Hands-on activity

Le lundi matin (Monday morning)

You need: a phone or tablet to record, a timer, and a listener (anyone).

Jot key words only for a real or imagined weekend: 3 events, 2 background details, and when things happened.
Your story must include: 3 passé composé verbs (at least one with être), 2 imparfait verbs, and one each of depuis, il y a, pendant and venir de.
Tell it in 2 minutes. Then again in 1½ minutes, then in 1 minute, without notes the last time. Record the last one.
Your listener asks one follow-up question (in English is fine). Answer in French.
Listen to your recording: count your ums and long pauses. Next time, replace them with euh, bon, alors.

What to look for: the helper verb clearly pronounced (j'ai, je suis), depuis with the present, and a smoother story on the third try.

Your turn

Say: I have been playing the piano for four years (and you still play).

Say: I got up three hours ago.

Say: We just arrived!

Passé composé or imparfait? Il ___ (neiger) quand je ___ (sortir).

You hear zhay fay at the start of a sentence. What tense is it, and what does it mean?

Give two French fillers you can use instead of um.

In the dialogue, how long has Zoé been volunteering, and what did she do two days ago?

More practice: warm-up

What does il y a deux jours mean?

What is the past participle of prendre?

Which helper verb does aller use in the passé composé?

What does bref do in a story?

What does Je viens de manger mean?

More practice: on your own

Correct: J'habite à Windsor pour 2019. (and you still live there)

Choose pendant or depuis: (a) Hier, j'ai étudié ___ deux heures. (b) J'étudie ___ deux heures, je suis fatigué !

Put in the past: Je suis fatiguée parce que je me couche tard. (She's talking about last night.)

Ask a classmate for how long they have known their best friend.

Why does On jouait à un jeu de société quand la lumière s'est éteinte use two different tenses?

Challenge

Say in French: When I arrived, my brother had just left. (Hint: venir de in the imparfait.)

A friend says: Il y a deux ans que j'apprends la guitare. Explain what it means and give the version with depuis.

Tell a 4-sentence anecdote about a snow day using: imparfait for the scene, two passé composé events, pendant, and bref.

Check your understanding

Quiz

I have lived in Ottawa for five years (still there) is...

Je suis arrivé il y a une heure means...

Which sentence uses the tenses correctly?

Nous venons de finir means...

When listening, the best clue that a verb is in the passé composé is...

Which is a good French filler instead of um?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students tell personal stories in the past (B1.2, B1.4), speak with growing fluency (B1.3), understand a peer's account (A1.2) and keep a conversation going (B2.2). The focus is on precise time expressions: depuis, il y a, pendant, venir de.

How to help: Ask "What did you do this weekend?" and let your teen answer in French with a timer, three times, getting shorter. The improvement from the first to the third try is usually obvious and motivating.

Common difficulties:

Translating "for" as pour: French uses depuis (still going, with the present) or pendant (finished).
Using the passé composé with depuis: J'ai habité ici depuis 3 ans ✗ → J'habite ici depuis 3 ans ✓.
Freezing mid-story: encourage fillers (euh, bon, alors) and talking around a missing word.

Good to know: Plate (boring) and Pis ? (So?) are casual expressions used in Québec and other parts of Canada. Students should understand them, but use more neutral French in presentations.