Family plans
Forfaits familiaux
- Talk about plans and ambitions for the future
- Talk about your relationships and family plans
This lesson on family plans focuses on discussing weekend activities and future family ambitions using useful phrases like "se marier" (to marry), "avoir des enfants" (to have children), and verbs in passé composé and conditionnel, perfect for A2 learners.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercice 1: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- What is the next big step (your partner and) you want to take? (What is the next big step (your partner and) you want to take?)
- Would you like to start a family? (Would you like to start a family?)
- Would you like to have pets? Why or why not? (Would you like to have pets? Why or why not?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Mon partenaire et moi nous marions en juin. My partner and I are getting married in June. |
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Je n'ai pas de partenaire mais mon meilleur ami et moi venons d'emménager ensemble. I don't have a partner but my best friend and I just moved in together. |
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J'aimerais fonder une famille bientôt. J'aimerais avoir 3 enfants. I would like to start a family soon. I would love to have 3 children. |
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Je ne veux pas avoir d'enfants à l'avenir. Mon partenaire et moi sommes très heureux sans eux. I don't want to have children in the future. My partner and I are very happy without them. |
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J'aimerais avoir un chien et deux chats plus tard. J'ai grandi avec des animaux de compagnie et je voudrais la même chose pour mes enfants. I would like to have a dog and two cats later. I grew up with pets and I would like the same for my children. |
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Un animal de compagnie représente beaucoup de responsabilités et avec notre travail et nos deux enfants, nous n'avons pas suffisamment de temps pour nous occuper d'un animal de compagnie. A pet is a lot of responsibility and with our work and two children we do not have enough time to care for a pet. |
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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. Il ___ marié avec Sophie il y a trois ans.
(He ___ married Sophie three years ago.)2. Après leur mariage, ils ___ décidé d'avoir un enfant.
(After their wedding, they ___ decided to have a child.)3. Ils ___ divorcé l'année dernière parce qu'ils ne s'entendaient plus.
(They ___ divorced last year because they no longer got along.)4. Si je ___ mariais, je voudrais organiser une grande fête.
(If I ___ got married, I would like to organize a big party.)Exercise 4: Family plans
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Se marier - To get married
Passé composé
- Je me suis marié(e)
- Tu t'es marié(e)
- Il/Elle/On s'est marié(e)
- Nous nous sommes marié(e)s
- Vous vous êtes marié(e)(s)
- Ils/Elles se sont marié(e)s
Décider - To decide
Passé composé
- J'ai décidé
- Tu as décidé
- Il/Elle/On a décidé
- Nous avons décidé
- Vous avez décidé
- Ils/Elles ont décidé
Vouloir - To want
Conditionnel présent
- Je voudrais
- Tu voudrais
- Il/Elle/On voudrait
- Nous voudrions
- Vous voudriez
- Ils/Elles voudraient
Être - To be
Présent
- Je suis
- Tu es
- Il/Elle/On est
- Nous sommes
- Vous êtes
- Ils/Elles sont
Rencontrer - To meet
Passé composé
- J'ai rencontré
- Tu as rencontré
- Il/Elle/On a rencontré
- Nous avons rencontré
- Vous avez rencontré
- Ils/Elles ont rencontré
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Se marier to get married Share Copied!
Passé composé
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') me suis marié(e) | I got married |
| (tu) t'es marié(e) | You got married |
| (il/elle/on) s'est marié(e) | he/she/one got married |
| nous sommes marié(e)s | we are married |
| vous êtes marié(e)(s) | You are married |
| (ils/elles) se sont marié(e)s | They got married |
Divorcer to divorce Share Copied!
Passé composé
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'ai divorcé | I divorced |
| tu as divorcé | You divorced |
| il/elle/on a divorcé | he/she/one divorced |
| nous avons divorcé | we divorced |
| vous avez divorcé | You divorced |
| ils/elles ont divorcé | They divorced |
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Family Plans: Learning French at A2 Level
This lesson focuses on discussing family-related plans and ambitions in French, aimed at A2 learners. You will explore common expressions and vocabulary to talk about weekend plans, professional ambitions, and planning a family. It develops your ability to use various verb tenses and conjugations, especially involving reflexive verbs and the past tense.
Dialogue Practice
Three sets of dialogues help you practice:
- Weekend Plans: Talk about upcoming weekend activities and family time, using verbs like aller (to go), rendre visite à (to visit), and expressions about rest and socializing.
- Professional Ambitions: Discuss your future career goals and how they affect your personal and family life, using verbs such as vouloir (to want), devenir (to become), and équilibrer (to balance).
- Planning a Family: Conversations about starting or growing a family, addressing topics like marriage, children, and living arrangements, including words like enfant, fiancé(e), and appartement.
Key Vocabulary and Expressions
Useful words and expressions from the lesson include:
- Se marier (to get married)
- Décider (to decide)
- Vouloir (to want) in conditional mood
- Passé composé forms for describing completed past actions like se sont mariés, ont décidé, a rencontré.
- Planning-related phrases such as avoir des projets (to have plans), fonder une famille (to start a family), and passer du temps avec (to spend time with).
Verb Conjugation Practice
Emphasis on practicing multiple-choice exercises with reflexive verbs and passé composé, such as:
- Il s'est marié avec Sophie il y a trois ans.
- Après leur mariage, ils ont décidé d'avoir un enfant.
Understanding pronoun placement in reflexive verbs is essential, for example, distinguishing between me mariais and other forms.
Short Story Exploration
A mini-story about Marie and Julien's marriage and family plans helps contextualize vocabulary and grammar. It highlights usage of past tenses and conditional mood to express desires and actions related to family life.
Instruction Language vs. French
When learning French from English instructions, notice that French often uses reflexive verbs for daily life events, e.g., "se marier" means "to get married," while English uses a simple verb phrase. The French past tense (passé composé) combines auxiliary verbs and past participles and is used frequently to describe completed actions. English frequently employs the simple past for similar contexts but without reflexive pronouns.
Useful phrases comparison:
- Je me suis marié(e). – I got married. (Reflexive pronoun me is mandatory in French.)
- J'ai décidé – I decided. (Passé composé with auxiliary avoir.)
- Je voudrais – I would like. (Conditional mood expresses polite desires or intentions.)
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