Holiday plans
Plans de vacances
- Describe different types of holidays and activities.
- Discuss the modes of transportation used to reach your travel destination
- Know common holiday destinations in your guest country.
This A2 French lesson focuses on discussing holiday plans, including destinations like "la plage" (the beach) and transportation options such as "le train" (the train) and "l'avion" (the airplane). You'll learn key verbs like "préférer" (to prefer) and expressions to talk about activities and travel.
Vocabulary (20) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercice 1: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- What holiday type do you see in each picture? (What holiday type do you see in each picture?)
- What transportation are you going to use to travel and why? (What transportation are you going to use to travel and why? )
- How long will your next holiday be? (How long will your next holiday be?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Je vais en Italie pour un voyage en ville. I am going to Italy for a city trip. |
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Je pars en camping avec ma famille à la montagne. I am going camping with my family in the mountains. |
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Je voyagerai en train au lieu de prendre l'avion. I will travel by train instead of taking the plane. |
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Je vais à Majorque pour visiter des musées. I am going to Mallorca to visit museums. |
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Nous partons en camping-car pour un voyage en famille. We’re taking the motorhome on a family journey. |
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Je voyage autour du monde pendant six mois. I’m travelling around the world for six months. |
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Nous allons dans une station balnéaire en Tunisie. We are going to a beach resort in Tunisia. |
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Je pars en croisière en mai. I am going on a cruise in May. |
| ... |
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Nous __________ les marchés locaux pour mieux découvrir la culture de la région.
(We __________ the local markets to better discover the culture of the region.)2. Hier, j'ai __________ en train pour aller à la mer.
(Yesterday, I __________ by train to go to the sea.)3. Nous avons __________ plusieurs itinéraires avant de choisir notre destination.
(We __________ several routes before choosing our destination.)4. Chaque année, ils __________ en avion pour rendre visite à leurs amis.
(Every year, they __________ by plane to visit their friends.)Exercise 4: Vacation plans
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Explorer - Explore
Présent
- j'explore
- tu explores
- il/elle explore
- nous explorons
- vous explorez
- ils/elles explorent
Conseiller - Advise
Passé composé
- j'ai conseillé
- tu as conseillé
- il/elle a conseillé
- nous avons conseillé
- vous avez conseillé
- ils/elles ont conseillé
Vouloir - Want
Présent
- je veux
- tu veux
- il/elle veut
- nous voulons
- vous voulez
- ils/elles veulent
Réserver - Book
Passé composé
- j'ai réservé
- tu as réservé
- il/elle a réservé
- nous avons réservé
- vous avez réservé
- ils/elles ont réservé
Voyager - Travel
Passé composé
- j'ai voyagé
- tu as voyagé
- il/elle a voyagé
- nous avons voyagé
- vous avez voyagé
- ils/elles ont voyagé
Préférer - Prefer
Présent
- je préfère
- tu préfères
- il/elle préfère
- nous préférons
- vous préférez
- ils/elles préfèrent
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Explorer to explore Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'explore | I explore |
| (tu) explores | You explore |
| (il/elle/on) explore | he/she/one explores |
| (nous) explorons | we explore |
| (vous) explorez | You explore |
| (ils/elles) explorent | they explore |
Voyager to travel Share Copied!
passe_compose
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'ai voyagé | I traveled |
| tu as voyagé | You have travelled |
| il/elle/on a voyagé | He/she/one has travelled |
| nous avons voyagé | We have travelled |
| vous avez voyagé | You have traveled |
| ils/elles ont voyagé | They travelled |
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Lesson Overview: Holiday Plans in French
This A2 level lesson focuses on everyday conversations related to planning holidays, especially beach vacations and transportation choices within France. You will explore practical dialogues about selecting destinations, discussing activities, and choosing travel methods, all essential for real-life holiday preparations.
Key Themes Covered
- Planning a beach holiday: Express intentions about travel destinations, preferences for beaches like the Côte d'Azur or Biarritz, and activities such as surfing or sightseeing.
- Choosing transport: Discuss and compare modes of transportation including train, bus, car, and airplane, incorporating practical reasons for preferences.
- Talking about French vacation destinations: Express desires to visit iconic places like Paris or regions such as Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur or Brittany, and mention local specialties and activities.
Useful Vocabulary and Expressions
- Partir à la plage – to go to the beach
- Prendre le train / le bus / la voiture – to take the train / bus / car
- Faire du surf – to surf
- Explorer plusieurs itinéraires – exploring several routes
- Préférer profiter de la mer et du soleil – to prefer enjoying the sea and sun
Verb Focus
The lesson emphasizes conjugation of verbs relevant to travel such as explorer (to explore), vouloir (to want), réserver (to book), voyager (to travel), and préférer (to prefer). Practice includes present and passé composé tenses, helping you describe current plans and past actions smoothly.
Language Tips for English Speakers Learning French Holidays Vocabulary
Unlike English, French verbs often conjugate differently depending on the subject, which is visible in phrases like "nous explorons" (we explore) versus "ils explorent" (they explore). Many vacation-related verbs like partir (to leave/go) and préférer (to prefer) have specific pronoun-verb agreements that are essential to remember. Also, French uses articles before country and region names and definite articles with places, for example, "la Provence" or "le train" whereas English often omits these.
Some useful phrases include:
- Je vais prendre le train – I will take the train.
- Quelles activités veux-tu faire ? – What activities do you want to do?
- Nous avons voyagé très confortablement. – We traveled very comfortably.
Understanding these phrases and verb uses will enhance your ability to talk about holiday plans accurately and naturally in French.
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