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French L6: Example 3

Example 3: Holiday in Biarritz

Au mois de mai je suis allée en France avec mes parents et ma sœur. Nous avons voyagé en avion et nous avons loué une voiture. Nous sommes restés près de Biarritz dans un petit hôtel au bord de la mer. Biarritz se situe dans le sud-ouest de la France près de la frontière espagnole. Tous les ans il y a les championnats du monde de surf! La région était intéressante et pittoresque. J'ai fait de la planche à voile, j'ai joué au tennis et je suis allée à la piscine. J'adore la planche à voile. J'ai aimé mes vacances parce que j'adore la mer. J'ai parlé français dans les magasins. Mes parents étaient très contents!

[Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/french/writingh/holidaysrev2.shtml]

Context and text type

Larissa writes an article for an Alliance Française newsletter about an eight-day visit to France with her family.

Text type

Article, formal. Productive.

Examples showing how the student is:

Communicating information, ideas and opinions beyond the immediate context

The text includes a compound sentence:

  •  J'ai aimé mes vacances parce que j'adore la mer.

Larissa uses the perfect tense to write about recent completed actions in the past, for example:

  •  J'ai parlé français dans les magasins.

Larissa describes modes of transport, for example:

  •  Nous avons voyagé en avion et nous avons loué une voiture.

She uses the imperfect tense to describe a continuous past action:

  • Mes parents étaient très contents!

She uses the present tense to make a general comment about a present state:

  • J'adore la planche à voile.

Expressing and responding to personal ideas and opinions

The sentences: J'adore la planche à voile and j'ai aimé mes vacances show the writer’s ability to express liking, in both present and past. However, while Larissa conveys her meaning adequately, a French speaker would probably express this idea somewhat differently; for example:

  •  J’ai passé de super bonnes vacances! or J’ai beaucoup aimé mes vacances.

Larissa uses adjectives to offer a general opinion about the region she was holidaying in:

  •  La région était intéressante et pittoresque.

She gives the reason for her enjoyment of the holidays:

  • J'ai aimé mes vacances parce que j'adore la mer.

She implies a reason for the choice of holiday in France:

  •  J'ai parlé français dans les magasins. Mes parents étaient très contents!

Communicating appropriately in different situations

Larissa understands the reader may need some explanation about Biarritz:

  • Biarritz se situe dans le sud-ouest de la France près de la frontière espagnole.

Because she is writing about a personal experience, Larissa uses the first person pronoun, for example:

  • Au mois de mai je suis allée en France; J’ai fait de la planche à voile.

New Zealand readers may find Larissa’s use of the first person je disrespectful in the context, given that she travelled with her family. They may feel she should have used the first person plural nous instead.

Larissa comments on her new learning:

  • Tous les ans il y a les championnats du monde de surf!

Understanding how language is organised for different purposes

Larissa uses the perfect tense to describe completed actions:

  •  j'ai joué au tennis, nous sommes restés près de Biarritz.

The imperfect tense is used to describe how things were:

  •  la région était intéressante.

She uses the present tense to express a current state:

  •  j'adore la mer.

Larissa gives the reader precise information about her stay in France. For example:

  •  Nous sommes restés près de Biarritz dans un petit hôtel au bord de la mer.

Larissa establishes a formal relationship with her readers, although she does not address them directly:

  • Au mois de mai je suis allée en France avec mes parents et ma soeur.

Opportunities for developing intercultural communicative competence

Students could investigate Biarritz further and find out why it attracts visitors. They could investigate different places in the French-speaking world where people like to spend their holidays. What things attract French people? What activities do they like?

What places in New Zealand would students recommend to potential French visitors? Why? Students could apply their learning to produce a range of oral, written, or visual text types, for example, posters to attract French tourists. What visual images would they use? What information (linguistic and cultural) would they include? How could they be sure that what they produce will attract French visitors? What have they learned through this task?

Last updated March 27, 2013



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