This is part of our series Guide on the Production Orale of your French Exam. This guide is useful for any french exam that follows the CEFR scale of languages, such as the DELF, TCF, TEF.
In the Production orale section of DELF A1 and DELF A2 you are sometimes asked to talk about routine activities or in french “La vie quotidienne, parler de ses habitudes”. In this article we will be looking at how to talk about in french your basic daily activities.
In some case they may ask you to describe:
- You daily activity at home
- Your daily activity when you are on vacation
In the DELF A1 You will be asked to speak for 3 minutes. While in the DELF A2 you will be asked to speak for 5 minutes.
When we are asked to talk about La vie quotidienne or parler de ses habitudes, at the Niveau A1, you are usually expected to be speaking in the present tense. We use the present simple tense, sometimes with an adverb of frequency, to talk about things we presently do often. In addition knowing how to talk about the time in french is important.
Listen to the following audio clip where a woman speaks about her daily routine:
Example:
Je m’entraîne au gymnase trois fois par semaine.( I train at the gym 3 times per week).
Je me brosse les dents avant d’aller au lit.(I brush my teeth before going to bed)
je me couche tôt les jours de travail. (I go to bed early the work days)
To show sequences we use expression such as: d’abord, ensuite, puis, après, finalement, en fin
To show frequency we use expressions such as : toujours (always), souvent (often), quelquefois (sometimes), rarement (rarely), jamais ( never)
In French it is very common to use reflexive verbs or in french “des verbes pronominaux” when talking about what we do. The most common “verbes pronominaux” you will use when taking about “ses habitudes” are:
se coucher to go to bed
déshabiller to get undressed
se doucher to take a shower
s’habiller to get dressed
se laver (les mains, la figure) to wash (one’s hands, one’s face)
se lever to get up
se maquiller to put on makeup
se peigner to comb one’s hair
se raser to shave
Conjugaison des VERBES PRONOMINAUX
SE LAVER S’HABILLER
Je me lave Je m’habille
Tu te laves Tu t’habilles
Il / elle se lave Il / Elle s’habille
Nous nous lavons Nous nous habillons
Vous vous lavez Vous vous habillez
Ils / elles se lavent Ils / elles s’habillent
Check out the following video that will help you learn the common vocabulary you will need to talk about your daily routine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S-bCvKiLBg