Exercise and lifestyle
Exercice et mode de vie
- Talk about the benefits of exercising and sports
- Talk about your daily exercise routines
This lesson focuses on discussing exercise benefits and daily routines in French, featuring key vocabulary like "faire du sport" (to exercise), "énergie" (energy), and phrases to talk about habits and health improvements.
Vocabulary (18) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercice 1: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Do you exercise? If yes, what do you do? (Do you exercise? If yes, what do you do?)
- How do you include exercise in your daily life? (How do you include exercise in your daily life?)
- Do you usually feel tired or full of energy after exercising? (Do you usually feel tired or full of energy after exercising?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Je fais du yoga tous les jours. Je fais aussi des étirements. I do Yoga everyday. I also do stretching. |
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Je fais de la musculation à la salle de sport trois fois par semaine. J'aime ça parce que cela me rend fort. I lift weights in the gym three times a week. I like it because it makes me feel strong. |
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Je vais à pied à mon bureau au lieu de prendre la voiture. I walk to my office instead of taking the car. |
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J'ai une piscine, donc chaque matin je nage pendant une demi-heure. I have a swimming pool so every morning I swim for half an hour. |
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Je me sens toujours bien après avoir fait de l'exercice. Cela me donne de l'énergie. I always feel good after doing some kind of exercise. It gives me energy. |
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Je me sens fatigué après avoir fait de l'exercice. En général, je me couche tôt un jour comme celui-là. I feel tired after working out. Usually I go to bed early on such a day. |
| ... |
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. Quand j'étais plus jeune, je _____ beaucoup en faisant de la course à pied.
(When I was younger, I _____ a lot of energy running.)2. Chaque semaine, je _____ pendant mes entraînements de musculation au gymnase.
(Every week, I _____ energy during my weight training sessions at the gym.)3. Avant, nous _____ plus facilement grâce aux routines sportives que nous suivions.
(Before, we _____ energy more easily thanks to the sports routines we followed.)4. Quand il faisait beau, ils _____ en jouant au football dans le parc avec des amis.
(When the weather was nice, they _____ energy playing soccer in the park with friends.)Exercise 4: Exercise and lifestyle
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Se dépenser - Se dépenser
Imparfait
- je me dépensais
- tu te dépensais
- il/elle/on se dépensait
- nous nous dépensions
- vous vous dépensiez
- ils/elles se dépensaient
Être - être
Imparfait
- j'étais
- tu étais
- il/elle/on était
- nous étions
- vous étiez
- ils/elles étaient
Prendre - Prendre
Imparfait
- je prenais
- tu prenais
- il/elle/on prenait
- nous prenions
- vous preniez
- ils/elles prenaient
Aimer - Aimer
Imparfait
- j'aimais
- tu aimais
- il/elle/on aimait
- nous aimions
- vous aimiez
- ils/elles aimaient
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Se dépenser to exert oneself Share Copied!
Imparfait
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') me dépensais | I was exerting myself |
| (tu) te dépensais | you were exerting yourself |
| (il/elle/on) se dépensait | he/she/one was exerting himself/herself/oneself |
| nous dépensions | We were exerting ourselves |
| vous dépensiez | You exerted yourself |
| (ils/elles) se dépensaient | they exerted themselves |
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Lesson Overview: Exercise and Lifestyle in French
This lesson focuses on discussing the benefits of sport and physical activity, describing daily exercise routines, and sharing practical tips to include sport regularly in everyday life. Designed for A2-level learners, it develops your ability to converse about health and lifestyle habits in French with natural expressions and relevant vocabulary.
Key Topics Covered
- Discussing the benefits of sport: Practice dialogues such as "Salut, tu fais du sport régulièrement ?" and explanations on how sport improves energy, sleep quality, and stress reduction.
- Talking about daily exercise routines: Learn to express your habits, e.g., "Je fais du vélo tous les matins" or "Je préfère faire du yoga le soir" to talk about frequency and type of exercises.
- Sharing tips for staying active: Use useful phrases like "Tu peux commencer par de petites promenades" and strategies for integrating physical activity despite busy schedules.
Important Vocabulary and Expressions
- faire du sport – to do sport
- faire du jogging – to go jogging
- se dépenser – to expend energy, to exercise
- la santé – health
- réduire le stress – to reduce stress
- routine sportive – sports routine
- musculation – weight training
- une promenade – a walk
Verb Conjugation Highlight: Imparfait Tense
The lesson includes focus on the imparfait tense, used to describe past habits and routines, illustrated by verbs like se dépenser and être. For example: "Quand j'étais plus jeune, je me dépensais beaucoup." Practice conjugations such as je me dépensais, nous nous dépensions, and ils se dépensaient.
Short Story Application
A contextual short story helps reinforce vocabulary and grammar: "Lorsque j'étais plus jeune, je me dépensais beaucoup en faisant de la course à pied..." highlighting daily habits and the importance of physical activity in a natural context.
Instruction Language vs. French Notes
Since the instruction language is English and the learning language is French, translations and explanations focus on helping English speakers understand French usage without overloading with translations inside examples. French uses reflexive verbs like se dépenser which may not have a direct reflexive equivalent in English but express "to expend oneself" or "to exercise." Also, the imparfait tense is emphasized here as it describes ongoing or habitual past actions, a structure less common in English for past habitual expressions, which usually use simple past or "used to" constructions.
Useful phrases to remember include:
- Je fais du jogging – I go jogging
- Tu te dépenses beaucoup – You expend a lot of energy (you exercise a lot)
- Chaque semaine, nous nous dépensions – Every week, we used to exercise (habitually in the past)
This structured focus will enable you to confidently discuss exercise and lifestyle topics in French with practical vocabulary and grammatically correct past tense usage.
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