Goals
What you'll be able to doBy the end of this lesson, you can:
- Read short pen-pal ads
- Write a simple introduction email about yourself
- Talk about your tastes: j'aime…, j'aime beaucoup…, un peu…
- Understand that French is spoken on 5 continents
- Recap everything from Unit 1
✏️ This lesson introduces no new grammar — it's a reading & writing lesson that pulls together everything from Lessons 1 to 3.
Discover — correspond@nce.com
A pen-pal siteFive young Francophones introduce themselves on a pen-pal website. Read each profile and email.
Diouf
Antoine
Marion
Pauline
Sandro
Vocabulary
Words to remember| French | Type | English |
|---|---|---|
| aimer | v. | to love, to like |
| an | n.m. | year (used for age) |
| aussi | adv. | also, too |
| beaucoup | adv. | a lot, very much |
| Belgique | n.f. | Belgium |
| Bruxelles | n.pr. | Brussels |
| Cayenne | n.pr. | Cayenne (capital of French Guiana) |
| chercher | v. | to look for |
| cinéma | n.m. | cinema; movies |
| classique | adj. | classical |
| correspondance | n.f. | correspondence |
| correspondant(e) | n. | pen pal |
| Dakar | n.pr. | Dakar (capital of Senegal) |
| danse | n.f. | dance, dancing |
| de | prep. | from; of |
| espagnol | n.m. | Spanish (the language) |
| Europe | n.f. | Europe |
| golf | n.m. | golf |
| guyanais(e) | adj. / n. | Guianese (from French Guiana) |
| Lausanne | n.pr. | Lausanne (Switzerland) |
| lecture | n.f. | reading (⚠ false friend — not "lecture"!) |
| monde | n.m. | world |
| musique | n.f. | music |
| nature | n.f. | nature |
| photo | n.f. | photo; photography |
| québécois(e) | adj. / n. | from Quebec, Québécois(e) |
| Sénégal | n.m. | Senegal |
| sœur | n.f. | sister |
| souvent | adv. | often |
| un peu | phrase | a little, a bit |
| volley-ball | n.m. | volleyball |
Notes
Things to notice① au Sénégal, en Belgique, à Dakar… Place prepositions recap
Quick reminder from Lesson 2:
- au + masculine country → au Sénégal · au Mali · au Canada · au Maroc
- en + feminine country → en Belgique · en Suisse · en France · en Algérie
- à + city → à Dakar · à Bruxelles · à Cayenne · à Lausanne
② photo = photographie Shortenings
Spoken French shortens lots of words: photo (← photographie), resto (← restaurant), ciné (← cinéma), prof (← professeur). Same instinct as English "phone" for "telephone" or "fridge" for "refrigerator".
③ de … à … From… to…
The preposition de marks origin or starting point. de … à … = "from … to …":
- de Paris à Marseille "from Paris to Marseille" (point A → point B)
- de 30 à 40 ans "from 30 to 40 years old" (range)
- une correspondante de 30 à 40 ans
④ Talking about your tastes aimer + the definite article
The verb aimer + definite article (le, la, l', les):
- J'aime la danse. "I love dancing." (English drops the article — French keeps it)
- J'aime le sport. "I love sports."
- J'aime la lecture, la nature et la musique classique.
You can shade the intensity:
- J'aime beaucoup la danse. "I love dancing." (++)
- J'aime un peu la photo. "I quite like photography." (+)
- Je n'aime pas le golf. "I don't like golf." (—) [negation, covered later]
How to say it
Useful chunks① Introducing yourself in writing
- Je m'appelle… / Moi, c'est…
- J'ai … ans.
- J'habite à … (city), en/au … (country).
- Je suis … (nationality / job).
- Je parle … (languages).
② Talking about tastes
- J'aime + article + noun → J'aime la musique.
- J'aime beaucoup la danse. (very much)
- J'aime un peu le sport. (a little)
③ Looking for a pen pal
- Je cherche un correspondant en France.
- Je cherche une correspondante de 30 à 40 ans.
- Mon e-mail : nom@adresse.com
Practice
Try it outExercise 1 — Who is it? Qui est-ce ?
Re-read the 5 profiles. Which pen pal matches each clue?
- Lives in Switzerland:
- Is a secretary:
- Loves sports:
- Speaks 3 languages:
- Likes photography:
- Lives in Senegal:
- Is a student:
- Is from Quebec:
Exercise 2 — Why do they speak French? Pourquoi parlent-ils français ?
All 5 are Francophones. But is French their native language, or is it an official language inherited from history? Choose.
- Diouf lives in Senegal —
- Antoine lives in Belgium (Brussels) —
- Marion lives in Quebec (Canada) —
- Pauline lives in French Guiana —
- Sandro lives in French-speaking Switzerland —
Exercise 3 — I'm looking for a pen pal Je cherche un(e) correspondant(e)
For each person below, pick the best pen pal among the 5 profiles.
- Aïcha, 22, literature student, lives in Rabat (Morocco). →
- Sabine, 30, dance teacher in Switzerland, looking for a female pen pal aged 25 to 35. →
- Luc, 27, in Paris, loves sports and movies. →
- Émilie, 20, in Belgium, loves sports and photography. → (several answers possible)
Exercise 4 — J'aime… Tastes
Fill in with the right article (le, la, l', les).
- J'aime danse.
- J'aime sport.
- J'aime lecture.
- J'aime volley-ball.
- J'aime nature.
- J'aime cinéma.
- J'aime musique classique.
- J'aime photo.
Communicate
Real-world tasksExercise 5 — And you? Et vous ?
Pair work. Antoine likes reading and nature. Marion loves sports. What about you — what do you like? Discuss out loud.
Exercise 6 — Your email in French Votre e-mail en français
Write an email to one of the 5 pen pals above. Introduce yourself (name, age, city, country, job, languages, tastes). 6 to 8 sentences.
De : votre@email.com
À : sandro.carre@webzine.ch
Objet : Bonjour Sandro !
Bonjour Sandro,
Je m'appelle ____________, j'ai ___ ans.
J'habite à ____________, en/au ____________.
Je suis ____________ et je parle ____________.
J'aime ____________.
À bientôt !
____________
Cultural snapshot — La Francophonie
The French-speaking worldFrench is spoken on 5 continents by about 320 million people: in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It's the legacy of history — colonization, immigration, diplomatic ties. Here's an overview:
🌍 Africa
🌍 Europe
🌎 Americas
🌏 Asia & Oceania
💡 The OIF (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie) brings together 88 states and governments that share French. They meet every two years at the Sommet de la Francophonie: Montreux 2010, Kinshasa 2012, Dakar 2014, and so on.