Goals
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to…
- 🏠 Talk about flatsharing (« la coloc »), housing, and shared living.
- 📱 Understand and reply to a French flatshare ad.
- 🎙️ Understand testimonies about flatsharing.
- 🔗 Master the 7 ways to express cause in French: comme, parce que, car, puisque, grâce à, à cause de, en + V-ant.
- ✍️ Write a flatshare ad or an application.
- 🇫🇷🌍 Compare French flatsharing culture with the anglo world.
Discover · Flatsharing in 2026 🏠
33 % of French students live in a flatshare in 2026. And more and more working professionals aged 25–35 too — because a Paris studio runs €1,200/month, because solitude is getting old, because the planet… Reasons abound.
per month, 2026
flatshare (Paris)
in a flatshare
over 5 years
Chambre meublée en coloc — Bastille
580 € / mois · charges comprises- 4 chambres · 95 m² · 3 colocs cherchent un(e) 4ᵉ
- Cuisine équipée, salon, balcon, fibre, lave-vaisselle
- 5 min métro Bastille (ligne 1, 5, 8)
- Disponible 1ᵉʳ septembre 2026
- Bail individuel · caution 1 mois
Tes futurs colocataires :
Exercise 1 — Understand the ad
Read the ad above and answer.
- How much does the room cost per month (including charges)?
- How many people already live in the apartment?
- When is the room available?
- Who is the cooking enthusiast?
- Who works from home in the morning?
- Can a smoker apply to this flatshare?
Testimonies · "They chose to share" 🎙️
Flatsharing isn't new! Here are three testimonies from a few years back, to understand why they made that choice.
⚠️ You can listen twice.
Exercise 2 — Why did they choose flatsharing?
Listen and match each testimony with its main reason.
- Magali, 26, Belgium →
- Anne-Maud, 27 →
- Morgan →
- A reason that comes up across multiple people:
Vocabulary
🏠 Housing
📋 Contract & money
🤝 Flatsharing
Grammar — Expressing cause
French has at least 7 ways to express cause, each with its own nuance, position and register. Crucial for arguing a point at B1 level.
| Connector | Followed by… | Nuance & example |
|---|---|---|
| comme | clause (at start of sentence) |
Stated cause, set up front. = "since / as" Comme le loyer est trop cher, je cherche une coloc. (Since the rent is too high, I'm looking for a flatshare.) |
| parce que | clause |
Direct answer to "why?". The most common. = "because" Je cherche une coloc parce que je suis seul. |
| car | clause (never at start) |
Justifying cause, written / formal register. = "for / because" Je cherche une coloc, car j'aime la vie en groupe. |
| puisque | clause |
Cause already known to the listener. = "since / seeing that" Puisque tu cherches un logement, viens chez nous ! |
| grâce à 🟢 | + NOUN or pronoun |
Positive cause = "thanks to" Grâce à mes colocs, j'ai rencontré plein de gens. |
| à cause de 🔴 | + NOUN or pronoun |
Negative cause = "because of / due to" (blaming) À cause du bruit, je dors mal. (Because of the noise, I sleep badly.) |
| en + V-ant | gerund |
Cause + simultaneous manner. = "by …-ing" En partageant l'appart, on divise le loyer par 4. (By sharing the flat, we split the rent four ways.) |
• English collapses many of these into "because" / "since". French distinguishes them carefully — using car in spoken speech sounds awkward; using parce que at the start of a sentence is fine but heavier than comme.
• The grâce à 🟢 vs à cause de 🔴 split is unique: English just says "because of" — French forces you to choose between thanks (positive) and blame (negative).
• The gerund en + V-ant ≠ English "-ing" gerund — it always means "by doing / while doing" and carries cause/manner. Common B1 mistake: using infinitive "pour gagner" when you mean "by earning" → use en gagnant.
🧱 Key verbs · the many meanings of tenir and partager
Two key verbs of this lesson have several meanings depending on the object. This is very typical of French: one verb + several constructions = several meanings.
1. tenir · 5 meanings
• tenir qch en main = to hold something
Il tient son téléphone à la main.
• tenir un commerce / un journal = to run, to manage
Cette jeune femme tient un petit restaurant.
• tenir à + noun = to care about, to value
Il tient à la propreté.
• tenir à + inf = to insist on, really want to
Je tiens à te remercier. (I really want to thank you.)
• tenir sa parole / un serment = to keep (a promise)
Elle tient sa parole.
2. partager · share / split / agree
• partager un appartement / des frais = share, split (cost/space)
Lila partage un appart de 100 m² avec une amie.
• partager des moments / une vie = share (time) with someone
C'est agréable de rentrer chez soi pour partager quelques minutes.
• partager un avis / une opinion = to share (= to agree with)
La mère et la fille partagent le même avis.
⚠️ Don't confuse : partager avec qqn
(= share with) vs partager qch en X parts (= divide into X equal parts).
Practice
Exercise 3 — Positive 🟢 or negative 🔴 ?
Complete with grâce à or à cause de (+ article if needed).
- mes colocataires, je parle beaucoup mieux français.
- bruit la nuit, je dors très mal.
- internet, on trouve un coloc en quelques jours.
- la crise du logement, beaucoup de jeunes vivent en coloc.
- télétravail, Tom peut habiter à 1h de Paris.
- chats de Léa, Sami éternue tout le temps.
Exercise 4 — Transform the cause
Rephrase using the connector in brackets.
- Le studio est cher. Je cherche une coloc. (comme)
→ - Tu connais bien Paris. Tu peux m'aider. (puisque)
→ - Il pleut. Je reste à la maison. (parce que)
→ - Mes colocs sont sympas. Je suis heureux. (grâce à)
→
Exercise 5 — One cause, three ways 🎨
For each situation, write the same idea using 3 different connectors (from: comme, parce que, car, puisque, grâce à, à cause de, en + V-ant). This is the real B1 skill: varying your style.
-
Situation 1 · I live in a flatshare — there's an economic reason.
➤ Way 1 (parce que):
➤ Way 2 (comme):
➤ Way 3 (en + V-ant): -
Situation 2 · I'm happy with my flatmates — they're nice.
➤ Way 1 (grâce à):
➤ Way 2 (car):
➤ Way 3 (puisque):
Exercise 6 — Your ad or application ✍️🤖 AI-graded
Choose: (a) a flatshare ad you post on ToitCommun.fr, or (b) an application to the ad above. 120-180 words. In French.
Communicate · The flatshare interview ☕
You replied to the ToitCommun ad. The 3 flatmates invite you for a casting (coffee at the kitchen table). Pick a role, prep 5 questions / 5 answers, then act it out.
🏠 Role A — Flatmate
You are Léa / Tom / Sami. You want to find out if the candidate is a good fit: habits (loud music, guests, cleaning), routine, motivation. Ask 5 questions in French.
🎒 Role B — Candidate
You're hunting for a flatshare. You want the room! Be friendly, explain your reasons (at least 2 causes), ask about charges, rules, etc.
• Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ? (What do you do for a living?)
• Pourquoi tu veux vivre en coloc ? → "Parce que… / Comme… / Grâce à…"
• Tu fumes ? Tu as un animal ?
• Tu invites souvent du monde ?
• On fait le ménage à tour de rôle, ça te convient ?
Culture · Living together, here and there 🌍
Sharing a home is lived very differently in France and the anglo world.
🇫🇷 France · "la coloc" as a way of life
Flatsharing in France is a student-culture legacy from the 1990s — popularised by Cédric Klapisch's film L'Auberge espagnole (2002). These days, it's also a grown-up choice well into one's mid-30s.
Key terms:
la coloc Erasmus Auberge espagnole coliving coloc intergénérationnelle génération Tanguy👉 Intergenerational flatsharing (student living with a senior) is booming: 5,000 pairings in 2026 via Ensemble2générations. The senior rents a room very cheaply in exchange for some company and daily help.
🇺🇸🇬🇧 Anglo world · roommates & co-living
In the US/UK, "having roommates" was historically tied to college / fresh-grad years, and shifted into adulthood mainly with the 2008 recession and the post-Covid housing crunch. Co-living brands (WeLive, Common, Habyt, Bumble Living) now offer fully-managed shared apartments for working professionals.
Key terms:
roommate housemate flatmate (UK) co-living SpareRoom (app) house rules security deposit👉 In London, 40 % of 25-34-year-olds now rent in flatshares (SpareRoom 2025 data). In NYC, "co-living" units (Common, Outpost) range $1,500-2,500/mo with cleaning, wifi and community events included.
🤔 Question to debate
And you? Do you prefer living alone (quiet, privacy, autonomy) or in a flatshare (company, cheaper, sharing)? What are your 3 conditions for a good flatshare experience?
Well done! You can now express cause in every shape.
You know the housing vocabulary, the 7 cause connectors, and you can argue a point at B1. Next up: helping neighbours on French micro-service sites — Lesson 3!