Lesson 35 — Envie de changement · A1

0

Goals

What you'll be able to do

🏠 Talk about renovations / works in the home
💡 Express a desire for change
📚 Use si + present + future
📅 Use quand + future
💭 Talk about your dream home
🎵 Pronounce rounded vowels

1

Discover

Dialogue

Dialogue · What will they do?

A couple is touring an apartment they're thinking of buying. They're keen to change everything! They imagine what work would be needed — and what it'd cost.

Him — Alors, qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?
So, what do you think?

Her — Ouais… j'aime bien. Il est grand, il est clair… et puis, il est calme aussi. Si on l'achète, il faudra faire des travaux. Regarde, tu as vu la couleur des murs dans la cheminée ?
Yeah… I like it. It's big, bright… and quiet too. If we buy it, we'll have to do some work. Look — did you see the colour of the walls around the fireplace?

Him — La couleur des murs, ce n'est pas un problème — un peu de peinture et puis c'est bon !
Wall colour's not a problem — a bit of paint and we're done!

Her — Et pour la cuisine et la salle de bain ?
What about the kitchen and bathroom?

Him — Tu sais, si on supprime le mur entre ces deux pièces, ça fera un grand salon. On pourra facilement mettre tous les meubles.
You know, if we knock out the wall between these two rooms, we'll get one big living room. We'll easily fit all the furniture.

Her — Tu sais, si on supprime la cheminée, on aura un peu d'argent, on pourra peut-être installer une cheminée, là dans le coin ?
You know, if we get rid of this fireplace, we'll save a bit, and maybe we can put in a new one over in that corner.

Him — C'est vrai, tu as raison. Quand on aura un peu d'argent, on pourra peut-être installer une cheminée, et là, dans le salon. Quand tu finiras ce projet, on commencera les vacances. Compte de cinq, six… non, deux mois !
True, you're right. When we have a bit of money, we'll maybe put a fireplace in the living room. When you finish this project, we'll start our holiday. Reckon five, six… no, two months!

Her — Et pour la cuisine et la salle de bains ?
And the kitchen and bathroom?

Him — Écoute, ça, on verra plus tard ! On changera peut-être la cuisine dans deux ou trois ans. Ça va faire beaucoup de dépenses.
Look, that — we'll see later! Maybe we'll redo the kitchen in two or three years. It's going to cost a lot.

Her — Bon, alors, qu'est-ce qu'on lui dit ? On l'achète ou pas ?
OK so, what do we tell him? Are we buying it or not?

Him — On l'achète ! Allez, c'est bon !
We'll buy it! Come on, let's do it!

💡 Notes

Avoir envie de + noun / inf. = "to feel like / want". J'ai envie de changer ! "I feel like a change!" Note: avoir envie de is gentler than vouloir ("to want"). Closer to "I'd love…".
Faire des travaux "to do renovation work" — verb + noun, plural. Travaux in this sense is always plural (referring to construction/renovation work). Faire un travail (singular) means "to do a job".
Supprimer un mur "to knock out / take down a wall".
"On verra plus tard !" "We'll see later!" — echoes the Unit 9 title "On verra bien !".
Une cheminée = both "fireplace" AND "chimney" — context decides.

2

Vocabulary

Words to remember

French	Type	English
une bouche	n.f.	mouth
un changement	n.m.	a change
changer (qch)	v.	to change (sth)
une cheminée	n.f.	fireplace; chimney
une dépense	n.f.	expense, expenditure
une envie	n.f.	desire, wish, urge
avoir envie de qch / de + inf.	v.	to feel like / want sth
facilement	adv.	easily
installer	v.	to install, to set up
mettre à	v.	to put on, to place
un meuble	n.m.	(piece of) furniture
la peinture	n.f.	paint; painting
une pièce	n.f.	room
un salon	n.m.	living room
supprimer	v.	to remove, to take out
les travaux	n.m.pl.	renovation works, construction
faire des travaux	v.	to do renovation work
un mur	n.m.	wall
la salle de bains	n.f.	bathroom
la couleur	n.f.	colour
clair / claire	adj.	bright; light (colour)
imaginer	v.	to imagine

3

Grammar

How French works

① Si — expressing a condition "if" clauses

"Si" = "if" — introduces a hypothesis. The pattern depends on context. At A1, these 3 patterns are the most useful:

Si + present + present

→ General truth or habit.

Si tu veux, on fait une promenade.
"If you want, we go for a walk."

Si il fait beau, je sors.

Si + present + futur simple

→ Real hypothesis about the future. The most important pattern!

Si on supprime le mur, ça fera un grand salon.
"If we knock out the wall, it'll make a big living room."

Si tu passes en France, je te montrerai Bordeaux.

Si + present + imperative

→ Conditional advice or order.

Si tu es pressé, prends un taxi !
"If you're in a hurry, take a taxi!"

Si vous avez faim, mangez ce gâteau.

⚠️ GOLDEN RULE: after si, you NEVER use the futur simple!
❌ Si tu ~~seras~~ à Paris… → ✅ Si tu es à Paris, tu me verras.

💬 Tip for English speakers: good news — this works exactly like English. English also says "If you are in Paris, you will see me" — never "If you will be in Paris…". The French rule is the same. So if you're tempted to use the futur after si, ask: would I say "will" in the English "if" clause? No → don't use the futur in French either.

🇬🇧 If I have time, I will come.
🇫🇷 Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai. (present + future — same pattern)

② Quand + future English speakers' biggest trap

Quand = "when" — introduces a specific moment in time.

Quand + …	Example
Quand + imparfait (past)	Quand j'étais petit, je jouais beaucoup.
Quand + present (general)	Quand je suis en vacances, je dors beaucoup.
Quand + future (upcoming)	Quand on aura de l'argent, on partira.

⚠️ BIG English-speaker trap! In English, "when" clauses about the future use the present tense: "When I arrive, I will call you" — NOT "When I will arrive".

French does the OPPOSITE: when the action is in the future, the quand clause uses the futur simple!

❌ ENGLISH-SPEAKER MISTAKE: Quand j'~~arrive~~ à Paris, je t'appellerai. (sounds wrong)
✅ Quand j'arriverai à Paris, je t'appellerai. "When I arrive in Paris, I'll call you."
✅ Quand tu seras grand, tu comprendras. "When you are grown up, you'll understand."

🧠 Memory trick: if both clauses are in the future, French puts BOTH in the future (futur + futur). English uses only ONE future ("present + will"). Note: si works the English way, quand works the opposite way.

4

How to say it

Useful chunks

💡 Expressing a condition

Si on l'achète, il faudra faire des travaux. "If we buy it, we'll need to renovate."
Si tu as faim, dis-le moi ! "If you're hungry, tell me!"
Si je peux, je viendrai. "If I can, I'll come."

📝 Talking about future intentions and plans

Quand j'aurai un peu d'argent, je pourrai installer une cheminée.
Quand tu finiras, on commencera les vacances.
Je verrai plus tard. · On verra ! "We'll see!"

🏠 Describing renovation work

Faire de la peinture · refaire les murs · changer la couleur
Supprimer un mur · installer une cheminée
Changer la cuisine · refaire la salle de bains
Mettre des nouveaux meubles · changer le sol "change the floor"

5

Practice

Try it out

Exercise 1 · Si + present + future

Conjugate the verbs.

Si tu (passer) en France, je te (montrer) Paris.
Si on (acheter) cet appartement, il (falloir) faire des travaux.
Si vous (vouloir) , on (pouvoir) dîner ensemble.
Si elle (gagner) au loto, elle (acheter) une grande maison.
Si nous (avoir) le temps, nous (visiter) le Louvre.

Exercise 2 · OK, but when?

Fill in with quand + futur simple. Remember: French uses future after quand when the action is in the future!

Quand tu (avoir) 18 ans, tu (pouvoir) conduire.
Quand je (finir) mes études, je (chercher) un travail.
Quand nous (arriver) à Bordeaux, je vous (téléphoner) .
Quand mes parents (venir) à Paris, on (visiter) Versailles.

Exercise 3 · And if…, and if…

Imagine 4 hypothetical sentences.

Si vous (supprimer) le mur, vous (avoir) une grande pièce.
Si on (peindre) la cuisine, ça (changer) tout !
Si tu (acheter) cet appartement, tu (être) très bien.
S'il (faire) beau demain, nous (aller) à la mer.

Exercise 4 · Making excuses

With si, explain why you're changing your mind.

Model: Si tu m'invites chez tes parents, tu changeras la salle de bain. → Non, je ne le ferai pas, j'ai trop peu d'argent. Mais s'ils… si je gagne, j'aurai un peu plus de temps.

Si elle vous invite, vous lui téléphonerez ? →
S'il fait beau demain, vous sortirez ? →
Si vous allez à Paris, vous emmènerez les enfants ? →

💡 Open-ended — no auto-correction.

Exercise 5 · Under what condition?

Listen to the 3 dialogues and match the questions to the conditions.

Dialogue 1:

Dialogue 2:

Dialogue 3:

Dialogue 1 → Under what condition will they go to the cinema? →
Dialogue 2 → Under what condition will they go on holiday? →
Dialogue 3 → Under what condition will they go to the party? →

💡 No auto-correction — compare your notes.

Exercise 6 · My dream home

Describe your dream home. Use si + futur simple.

Model: Si je gagne au loto, j'achèterai une grande maison au bord de la mer, une maison avec piscine…

Si je gagne au loto, j'
Si j'ai du temps cet été, je
Si je trouve un bon travail à Paris, je

6

Communicate

Real-world tasks

🏠 Renovating the apartment

You've just toured a new apartment. With a partner, discuss the renovations you want to do. Use si + future and quand + future.

What works to do? (paint, walls, flooring, windows, kitchen, bathroom…)
How much will it cost?
When to start? When to finish?
Who will do the work? (yourself, a contractor…)

💭 Your dream home

Describe your dream home to a partner. Where? What's it like? What's in it? How many rooms?

💡 Ideas: a château in France, a beach house, a Manhattan apartment, a treehouse, a yurt in Mongolia, a cottage in the English countryside…

7

Pronunciation

Sound focus

Rounded vowels the famous "French sound"

French has 7 rounded vowels (lips form an "O" shape): [y], [ø], [œ], [œ̃], [u], [o], [ɔ]. These vowels are what make French sound like French!

Sound	Spelling	Example	English approximation
[y]	u	tu, sur, une	(no equivalent — German "ü")
[ø]	eu, œu	peu, deux, jeu	(no equivalent)
[œ]	eu, œu	heure, sœur, peur	like the "ur" in "burn" (RP English)
[œ̃]	un, um	un, brun, parfum	(rare; many speakers merge with [ɛ̃])
[u]	ou	vous, où, jour	like "oo" in "boot"
[o]	o, au, eau	chaud, beau, mot	like "o" in "go" (without the glide)
[ɔ]	o	fort, sport, école	like "o" in "soft"

👂 Listen and repeat:

Tu es heureux. [ty-e-ø-ʁø]
On peut se retrouver à deux heures.
Tout est bon chez eux.
Tu es venu au bureau pour me voir ?
Il faut d'abord trouver un jour et une heure pour le rendez-vous.

💬 Tip for English speakers: the sounds [y] (as in tu) and [ø] (as in peu) are the most distinctively French — and they don't exist in English. To produce them:

For [y] (tu, sur): say "ee" as in "see" — then, while keeping your tongue in the same position, round your lips like you're saying "oo". The result is [y].
For [ø] (peu, deux): say "ay" as in "say" — then round your lips. That's [ø].
For [œ] (peur, sœur): like [ø] but with the mouth slightly more open. Close to British English "ur" in "burn".

⚠️ Difference: peu [pø] (mouth slightly closed) ≠ peur [pœʁ] (mouth slightly more open). Don't replace [y] with English "oo" — tu [ty] should NOT sound like "too" [tu]. Different vowels in French! tu = "you", tout = "all".