Visit the countryside
Visitez la campagne
- Talk about the village and the countryside.
- Learn the names of the farm animals.
- Learn about the most known rural regions of your host country.
Explorez la campagne française avec ceçon A2 : découvrez le vocabulaire des animaux (vaches, poules, moutons, coq) et exprimez vos visites à la ferme et dans les villages ruraux.
Vocabulary (17) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercice 1: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Where did you grow up? On the countryside or in the city? (Where did you grow up? On the countryside or in the city?)
- Did you have to care for animals? Farm animals or pets? (Did you have to care for animals? Farm animals or pets?)
- What do you think of the bull fighting in Spain? (What do you think of the bull fighting in Spain?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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J'ai grandi à la campagne. I grew up on the countryside. |
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Ma famille a une ferme, donc j'ai beaucoup aidé à prendre soin des porcs, des vaches et des poules. My family has a farm so I helped a lot to care for the pigs, cows and chicken. |
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J'ai grandi dans une petite ville. Ma famille avait un chien. J'ai aidé à m'en occuper. I grew up in a small city. My family had a dog. I helped to care for him. |
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J'ai grandi à Berlin, la capitale de l'Allemagne. Nous n'avions qu'un petit appartement donc nous n'avons jamais eu d'animal de compagnie. I grew up in Berlin, the capital of Germany. We only had a small apartment so we never had a pet. |
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Je pense que la corrida est une tradition importante en Espagne et je veux voir un combat. I think the bull fighting is an important tradition in Spain and I want to see a fight. |
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La corrida en Espagne est cruelle. Cette tradition doit bientôt prendre fin pour protéger les taureaux. The bull fighting in Spain is cruel. That tradition has to end soon to protect the bulls. |
| ... |
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. Le week-end dernier, j'___ attendu le bus pour aller à la ferme.
(Last weekend, I ___ waited for the bus to go to the farm.)2. Ensuite, nous ___ visité le champ où il y avait des moutons.
(Then, we ___ visited the field where there were sheep.)3. Après, j'___ attendu patiemment pour caresser la vache.
(Afterwards, I ___ waited patiently to pet the cow.)4. Enfin, nous ___ attendu le retour du fermier pour lui poser des questions.
(Finally, we ___ waited for the farmer’s return to ask him questions.)Exercise 4: Visit to the mountain farm
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Décider - Decide
Passé composé
- j'ai décidé
- tu as décidé
- il/elle/on a décidé
- nous avons décidé
- vous avez décidé
- ils/elles ont décidé
Voir - See
Passé composé
- j'ai vu
- tu as vu
- il/elle/on a vu
- nous avons vu
- vous avez vu
- ils/elles ont vu
Expliquer - Explain
Passé composé
- j'ai expliqué
- tu as expliqué
- il/elle/on a expliqué
- nous avons expliqué
- vous avez expliqué
- ils/elles ont expliqué
Élever - Raise
Imparfait
- j'élevais
- tu élevais
- il/elle/on élevait
- nous élevions
- vous éleviez
- ils/elles élevaient
Attendre - Wait
Passé composé
- j'ai attendu
- tu as attendu
- il/elle/on a attendu
- nous avons attendu
- vous avez attendu
- ils/elles ont attendu
Goûter - Taste
Passé composé
- j'ai goûté
- tu as goûté
- il/elle/on a goûté
- nous avons goûté
- vous avez goûté
- ils/elles ont goûté
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Attendre to wait Share Copied!
Passé composé
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') ai attendu | I waited |
| (tu) as attendu | You waited |
| (il/elle/on) a attendu | he/she/one waited |
| (nous) avons attendu | we waited |
| (vous) avez attendu | You waited |
| (ils/elles) ont attendu | They waited |
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Lesson Overview: Visit the Countryside
This lesson focuses on practical French conversations and vocabulary related to visiting the countryside, farms, and rural villages. Suitable for A2 level learners, it teaches how to describe visits to farms, name animals commonly found in the countryside, and talk about rural attractions and experiences.
Key Topics Covered
- Farm-related vocabulary: vaches (cows), poules (hens), moutons (sheep), coq (rooster), canards (ducks), chevaux (horses), chèvres (goats), cochons (pigs), lapins (rabbits), ânes (donkeys), brebis (ewes).
- Describing a rural visit: Expressing activities such as observing animals, visiting vineyards, helping with feeding animals, and enjoying local nature.
- Discussing local culture: Talking about village attractions, local markets, regional specialties like foie gras, cider, and references to regions such as Périgord, Normandie, and the Loire Valley.
- Practical conversational phrases: Greeting, asking and answering questions about the countryside and farms, expressing feelings about the visit, and making plans.
- Past tense usage: Emphasis on the passé composé to narrate experiences in the countryside, including verbs like avoir attendu (waited), avoir visité (visited), avoir décidé (decided), avoir vu (saw), and the imperfect tense for ongoing past actions, e.g., élevait (was raising).
Notable Expressions and Example Sentences
- Bonjour, connais-tu bien cette ferme ? – Hello, do you know this farm well?
- La campagne est belle ici, calme et reposante. – The countryside is beautiful here, calm and relaxing.
- J’ai aidé à nourrir les poules et les lapins. – I helped feed the hens and rabbits.
- La région du Périgord est célèbre pour sa nature et sa gastronomie. – The Périgord region is famous for its nature and gastronomy.
- Vous devriez visiter les marchés locaux. – You should visit the local markets.
Language Point: Differences and Useful Phrases
Unlike English, French often uses the passé composé to express past completed actions, especially when recounting experiences. For learners at the A2 level, mastering past tense verbs like avoir attendu (have waited) and avoir visité (have visited) is essential for storytelling.
French countryside vocabulary is rich in animal names which do not always directly translate word-for-word but are often similar, e.g., mouton means sheep, coq is a rooster (male chicken), and poule a hen (female chicken).
Useful phrases to practice include:
- Tu aimerais visiter la ferme un jour ? – Would you like to visit the farm someday?
- Comment s’est passée ta visite à la campagne ? – How was your visit to the countryside?
- La nature est magnifique et il fait très calme la nuit. – The nature is magnificent and it is very calm at night.
These expressions help convey interest, describe experiences, and invite conversation naturally in French.
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