French · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 1 of 12
Stories and memories
Histoires et souvenirs
Tell a memory from start to finish with the passé composé, the imparfait and the new plus-que-parfait, and put events in order.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell a story from your past with three past tenses
- Say what had already happened with the plus-que-parfait
- Put events in order with d'abord, ensuite, finalement
Listen
In her flat in Rouen, Aurélie shows her friend Benoît some old photos and tells him how she met her best friend. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Benoît
C'est qui, la fille à côté de toi sur cette photo ?
Who's the girl next to you in this photo?
Aurélie
C'est Sonia, ma meilleure amie. On s'est rencontrées le premier jour de fac.
That's Sonia, my best friend. We met on the first day of uni.
Benoît
Tu te souviens de ce jour-là ?
Do you remember that day?
Aurélie
Oh oui. Ce matin-là, j'avais raté mon bus, alors je suis arrivée en retard.
Oh yes. That morning I had missed my bus, so I arrived late.
Benoît
Et le cours avait déjà commencé ?
And the class had already started?
Aurélie
Oui, et la salle était pleine. Il n'y avait plus de place.
Yes, and the room was full. There were no seats left.
Benoît
Qu'est-ce que tu as fait ?
What did you do?
Aurélie
D'abord, je suis restée debout près de la porte. Ensuite, une fille m'a fait signe : elle avait gardé une place à côté d'elle.
First I stood near the door. Then a girl waved to me: she had kept a seat next to her.
Benoît
C'était Sonia ?
Was it Sonia?
Aurélie
Oui. Elle aussi était arrivée en retard, mais de cinq minutes seulement.
Yes. She had arrived late too, but only by five minutes.
Benoît
Et après le cours ?
And after the class?
Aurélie
On a mangé ensemble, on a beaucoup ri… et depuis ce jour-là, on ne s'est plus quittées.
We had lunch together, we laughed a lot… and since that day we've been inseparable.
Understand
The plus-que-parfait: had done
The (pluperfect) says what had happened before another moment in the past: (I had missed my bus). It takes the story one step further back.
It is built like the passé composé, but the helper verb or is in the imparfait: , . The same verbs take , and the participle agrees in the same way: , .
| Subject | (with ) | (with ) |
|---|---|---|
| (j') | j'étais arrivé(e) | |
| tu étais arrivé(e) | ||
| / / | ||
| nous étions arrivé(e)s | ||
| vous étiez arrivé(e)(s) | ||
| / |
Three past tenses in one story
A story often uses three past tenses. The passé composé tells the events, one after the other. The imparfait describes the scene around them. The plus-que-parfait goes back to something that had happened earlier.
(already) often goes with the plus-que-parfait. Compare: (the class started when I arrived) and (it had already started).
| Tense | Its job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| passé composé | events: what happened next | |
| imparfait | the scene: what it was like | |
| plus-que-parfait | what had happened before |
First, then, in the end
Sequencing words help the listener follow a story: (first), and (then, next), (afterwards), (in the end) and (at the end). often means “in the end”, after a change of plan.
To point back to a moment you have just mentioned, add -là to the noun: (that day), (that morning), (that year).
- D'abord, j'ai raté mon bus. Ensuite, je suis arrivée en retard.First I missed my bus. Then I arrived late.
- Finalement, on a mangé ensemble.In the end, we had lunch together.
- Cette année-là, nous habitions à Rouen.That year, we were living in Rouen.
More in the grammar: The plus-que-parfait: had done
New words
- la facuni, university · short for ; : at uni
- se souvenir deto remember ·
- ce jour-làthat day · also : that morning
- raterto miss (a bus, a train)
- en retardlate
- déjàalready
- plein / pleinefull
- ne… plusno more, not any longer · : there were no seats left; : we've never been apart since
- rester deboutto stand, to stay standing
- faire signe à quelqu'unto wave to someone, to signal to someone
- garderto keep
- seulementonly
- ensembletogether
- rireto laugh · past participle: ;
Practise
1.“When I arrived, the class had already started.” Which sentence says this?
2.Complete with the plus-que-parfait of .
She had kept a seat next to her.
3.Complete with the plus-que-parfait of .
Sonia had arrived late too.
4.Which word means “in the end”?
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.The class had already started.
6.Match the French with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Tu te souviens de ce jour-là ?
Do you remember that day?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.