Goals
What you'll be able to doBy the end of this lesson, you'll be able to…
- 📱 Talk about your daily use of phone and Internet (apps, networks, digital habits).
- 🤖 Say what you do with an AI / chatbot and express an opinion about it.
- ❌ Correctly use the six forms of French negation: ne… pas / pas encore / jamais / plus / rien / personne.
- 🛡️ Talk about digital security: passwords, personal data, fake news.
- 🎯 Present your digital profile to a partner in 6 sentences.
Discover 📱
Your phone and youThe original 2008 lesson asked: « Quelles opérations réalisez-vous sur Internet ? » ("What do you do on the Internet?") — buying CDs, listening to the radio, reading emails… In 2026, we don't really "go on" the Internet anymore — we just live with it in our pocket.
Survey · What do you do most often on your phone? (tick your answers)
Mon usage du téléphone
- 💬 J'envoie des messages.
I send messages. - 📺 Je regarde des vidéos.
I watch videos. - 🎧 J'écoute de la musique ou des podcasts.
I listen to music or podcasts. - 🔍 Je fais des recherches.
I look things up. - 📲 J'utilise les réseaux sociaux.
I use social media. - 🛒 Je fais des achats en ligne.
I shop online. - 🍜 Je commande à manger.
I order food. - 💳 Je paie avec mon téléphone.
I pay with my phone. - 🎓 Je prends des cours en ligne.
I take online courses. - 🇫🇷 J'apprends une langue avec une appli.
I learn a language with an app. - 🤖 J'utilise une IA pour m'aider.
I use AI to help me. - 🎮 Je joue à des jeux en ligne.
I play online games. - 📰 Je lis les actualités.
I read the news. - 📸 Je partage des photos.
I share photos. - 🚫 Je ne publie jamais de photos.
I never post photos. - 🤐 Je n'utilise presque jamais les réseaux sociaux.
I almost never use social media.
☝️ Click to tick your answers, then compare with a partner.
🎙️ Dialogue 2026 · Internet et moi 2026 dialogue · the Internet and me
📖 English translation
Ivy: Do you use the Internet a lot?
Léo: Yes, every day. I send messages, watch videos, listen to music.
Ivy: Do you shop online too?
Léo: I do, but not often. I order food sometimes, but I never buy clothes online.
Ivy: Why not?
Léo: Because I'd rather try clothes on in a shop.
Ivy: Do you use AI?
Léo: Yes, to learn French. It corrects my sentences.
Ivy: And do you trust it?
Léo: Not always! I double-check the important answers.
Ivy: 👍 Good for you. The Internet helps a lot, but you have to think too.
Vocabulary
Words to remember📱 Smartphone & apps
🛒 Online services
🤖 AI & digital life
Grammar — French negation
How French says "not / never / no one"French negation is built differently from English. Where English uses a single word ("not, never, nothing") plus an auxiliary ("do/does/did"), French wraps the verb in two words: ne + verb + …. Think of it as a sandwich — the verb in the middle.
| Form | Meaning | 2026 example |
|---|---|---|
| ne… pas | not (general negation) — English "don't / doesn't" | Je ne regarde pas TikTok. ("I don't watch TikTok.") |
| ne… jamais | never | Je ne partage jamais mon mot de passe. ("I never share my password.") |
| ne… plus | not anymore / no longer | Je n'utilise plus Facebook. ("I don't use Facebook anymore.") |
| ne… pas encore | not yet | Je n'ai pas encore installé cette appli. ("I haven't installed this app yet.") |
| ne… rien | nothing / not… anything | Je ne publie rien sur Instagram. ("I don't post anything on Instagram.") |
| ne… personne | nobody / not… anyone | Je ne connais personne sur ce forum. ("I don't know anyone on this forum.") |
⚠️ Three traps for English speakers
- Passé composé (≈ English present perfect): the negation hugs the auxiliary, not the past participle: Je n'ai jamais utilisé cette appli. ("I've never used this app.")
(Exception — personne goes after the participle: Je n'ai vu personne hier soir.) - "un / une / des / du / de la" all collapse to "de" / "d'" after a negation. This has no English equivalent:
J'ai un compte Instagram. → Je n'ai pas de compte Instagram.
("I have an Instagram account." → "I don't have an Instagram account.") Notice English just keeps "an"; French swaps it for de. - Spoken French drops the ne: people say « J'utilise pas TikTok », not « Je n'utilise pas TikTok ». But in writing — and in exams — keep the ne.
Practice
Try it outExercise 1 — Pick the right negation Choose carefully
Complete each sentence with ne… pas / pas encore / jamais / plus / rien / personne.
- — Tu utilises encore Facebook ?
— Non, je n'utilise Facebook depuis 2 ans. - — Tu as installé la nouvelle appli ?
— Non, je installée. - — Qu'est-ce que tu fais le dimanche soir sur ton téléphone ?
— Rien, je . Je me repose ! - — Tu connais quelqu'un sur ce forum ?
— Non, je . - — Tu partages ton mot de passe avec quelqu'un ?
— Non, ! - — Tu manges au resto le midi ?
— Non, je , je commande à manger sur mon appli.
Exercise 2 — No, the opposite! Flip to the negative
Put the sentences into the negative.
- J'utilise tous les jours TikTok. →
- Je partage toutes mes photos. →
- J'ai déjà payé en ligne. →
- Il y a quelqu'un dans le live. →
- Je regarde encore la télé. →
- Il fait tout sur son téléphone. →
Exercise 3 — In the passé composé Negation around the auxiliary
Reply negatively, keeping the passé composé. Remember: the negation hugs ai/as/a/avons/avez/ont, not the past participle.
- Tu as déjà acheté quelque chose en direct sur un live ?
→ Non, je en direct. - Tu as parlé à quelqu'un sur ce groupe WhatsApp ?
→ Non, je . - Tu as déjà été victime d'une arnaque ?
→ Non, je d'une arnaque. - Tu as posté des stories aujourd'hui ?
→ Non, je .
Exercise 4 — Indefinite article → de The article-drop rule
Put each sentence into the negative. Watch the swap un / une / des → de (no English equivalent — French just does this).
- J'ai un compte TikTok. → Je .
- Elle a des abonnés sur Instagram. → Elle .
- Il regarde de la publicité. → Il .
- Nous avons une connexion 5G. → Nous .
Communicate · Digital profile
Your turnWith a partner, answer the questions below, then present your digital profile to the class in 5-6 sentences.
- How much time do you spend on the Internet each day?
- Which app do you use the most? Why?
- What do you never do online?
- Have you ever used an AI? What for?
- What do you never share on the Internet?
- For you, is the Internet more useful or more dangerous?
✍️ Write your digital profile, using at least three different negations.
Pronunciation · The silent e
Why spoken French sounds so fastIn informal spoken French, the e (without an accent — also called the e muet or "schwa") regularly drops out. This is what makes spoken French sound so much faster than the written version: « j'e sais pas » becomes « j'sais pas » ("I dunno"). It's similar to how English speakers say "gonna" for "going to" — the spelling stays full, the speech contracts.
Write what you hear, then say it out loud:
- « Je ne sais pas. » → j'sais pas ("I dunno")
- « Je ne peux pas venir. » → j'peux pas v'nir ("I can't make it")
- « Je ne regarde plus. » → j'regarde plus ("I don't watch [it] anymore")
- « Tu ne téléphones jamais. » → tu téléphones jamais ("You never call")
💡 For English speakers: in writing, always keep the ne. In speech, you can drop it — and native speakers will think you sound more natural when you do.
Internet: 🇫🇷 France vs 🇬🇧🇺🇸 anglophone world
A digital culture snapshot🇫🇷 In France
- WhatsApp — the dominant messaging app (much more than iMessage).
- Instagram, TikTok, X — leading social networks.
- Le Bon Coin, Vinted — Craigslist-style classifieds and second-hand fashion (Vinted is huge in France).
- Deliveroo, Uber Eats — food delivery.
- Payment: contactless card dominates — Apple Pay / Google Pay are growing but less universal than in the US/UK.
- ChatGPT, Mistral (a French AI!), Claude — AI tools.
- 🔐 GDPR: strong personal data protection — those endless cookie banners come from here.
🇬🇧🇺🇸 In the UK / US
- iMessage dominates in the US (blue vs green bubbles); WhatsApp is everywhere in the UK.
- Venmo, Cash App, Zelle (US), Revolut, Monzo (UK) — peer-to-peer payment.
- Amazon dominates e-commerce in a way it doesn't quite in France.
- DoorDash, Uber Eats, Just Eat — food delivery.
- Payment: tap-to-pay everywhere; tipping culture (US) is much stronger.
- ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — same big AI players.
- 📜 Lighter data-protection rules (no GDPR in the US — though California's CCPA comes close).
🎯 Class discussion: what feels more convenient in France? What's more convenient back home? How would you say in French: to tap your card, to split the bill, to ghost someone?