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French

Conversation: Daily routine

Example answers with examiner's comments

Compare what Lisa and Auguste said in this role-play and find out why the examiner gave Auguste a higher mark.

1. Qu'est-ce que tu fais pour aider à la maison? - What do you do to help at home?

woman with black hair, wearing a yellow top

Lisa says:

Je fais mon lit.

I make my bed

man with black hair, wearing a black top

Auguste says:

  • D'habitude, le matin, je fais mon lit, et quelquefois, le soir, je fais la vaisselle. Je donne à manger au chien tous les jours, mais je range rarement ma chambre.

  • Usually, in the morning I make my bed, and sometimes in the evening I do the washing up. I feed the dog every day but I rarely tidy my bedroom.

  • Auguste tells us how regularly he does these tasks using time phrases.

2. A quelle heure te lèves-tu le matin, et à quelle heure te couches-tu? - What time do you get up in the morning and what time do you go to bed?

woman with black hair, wearing a yellow top

Lisa says:

  • Je me lève à sept heures et je me couche à onze heures du soir.

  • I get up at seven o'clock and I go to bed at eleven o'clock in the evening.

man with black hair, wearing a black top

Auguste says:

  • En semaine, je me lève à sept heures et je me couche vers onze heures du soir. Mais pendant le weekend je me couche un peu plus tard et je fais la grasse matinée.

  • During the week I get up at seven o'clock and I go to bed at about eleven o'clock in the evening. But at the weekend I go to bed a bit later and I have a lie in the next morning.
  • Auguste improves his answer by distinguishing between school days and the weekend, and by using 'vers' (about) and 'je fais la grasse matinée' (I have a lie-in).

3. Est-ce que tu prends un petit déjeuner le matin? - Do you have breakfast in the morning?

woman with black hair, wearing a yellow top

Lisa says:

  • Normalement, oui.

  • Yes, usually.

man with black hair, wearing a black top

Auguste says:

  • Oui, d'habitude je prends un petit déjeuner avec ma mère. Ce matin, j'ai mangé du pain grillé avec de la confiture. J'ai bu du thé et un verre de jus d'orange.

  • Yes, usually I have breakfast with my mum. This morning I ate toast with jam. I drank some tea and a glass of orange juice.
  • Auguste turns his answer into a full sentence and tells us what he eats, who he eats with, and uses the past tense to tell us what he ate and drank this morning.

4. Que fais-tu d'habitude le soir ? - What do you usually do in the evening?

woman with black hair, wearing a yellow top

Lisa says:

  • Je fais mes devoirs.

  • I do my homework.
man with black hair, wearing a black top

Auguste says:

  • Après avoir fait mes devoirs, je me repose. J'aime regarder la télévision, ou écouter un peu de musique. Le mardi, je vais au club de judo.

  • After doing my homework, I relax. I like to watch television or to listen to a bit of music. On Tuesdays I go to judo club.
  • Auguste uses 'après avoir...' (after having...) to improve his answer and gives several details.'

5. Où habites-tu? - Where do you live?

woman with black hair, wearing a yellow top

Lisa says:

  • J'habite dans une maison à Margate. Il y a trois chambres.
  • I live in a house in Margate. There are three bedrooms.

man with black hair, wearing a black top

Auguste says:

  • J'habite dans une petite maison mitoyenne à Margate, au bord de la mer. Il y a trois chambres. J'aime ma maison parce qu'elle est assez moderne.

  • I live in a small semi-detached house in Margate, at the seaside. There are three bedrooms. I like my house because it's fairly modern.
  • Auguste adds extra details about his house and an opinion.

6. Est-ce qu'il y a un jardin chez toi ? - Does your house have a garden?

woman with black hair, wearing a yellow top

Lisa says:

  • Oui. Nous avons un petit jardin.
  • Yes. We have a small garden.
man with black hair, wearing a black top

Auguste says:

  • Oui, chez moi il y a un petit jardin avec une pelouse, des fleurs, et une cabane à outils. J'aime le jardinage. Plus tard je voudrais avoir un jardin trois fois plus grand.

  • Yes, there is a garden at my house with a lawn, flowers and a tool shed. I like gardening. Later, I would like to have a garden three times as big.
  • Auguste gives several details and refers to the future.

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