2.2Core vocabulary
Two kinds of festival come up: public ones such as le 14 juillet and Noel, and private ones such as birthdays and weddings. Both need the vocabulary of food, gathering and giving.
- la fete nationale
- national holiday
- le defile
- parade
- le feu d'artifice
- firework display
- le reveillon
- Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner
- la buche de Noel
- chocolate Christmas log
- offrir un cadeau
- to give a present
- se reunir
- to gather
- la coutume
- custom
- feter
- to celebrate
- les jours feries
- public holidays
2.2Describing a past celebration
A question on this theme almost always asks about a celebration you attended. The answer needs both past tenses: the imperfect to set the scene and describe, and the perfect for the events that happened.
Worked example
Answer:
Common mistake
Using il y a for 'there were' in the past. Il y a means 'there is' or 'ago'; for 'there was' or 'there were' use il y avait.
2.2Cultural knowledge
Knowing a little about French and francophone celebrations makes answers more convincing. Le 14 juillet commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and is marked by a parade in the morning and fireworks at night. In many families the main Christmas meal is le reveillon on the evening of 24 December rather than lunch on the 25th.
Common mistake
Assuming French Christmas customs match British ones. The main meal and the opening of presents often fall on Christmas Eve.
2.2Answering on this theme
Chaque takes a singular noun: chaque annee, never chaque annees. Tous les takes a plural: tous les ans. Both mean every year, and mixing them up is a common and avoidable error.
- Imperfect for scene and description, perfect for events
- Il y avait is the imperfect of il y a
- Chaque takes a singular noun, tous les a plural
- A little cultural detail makes an answer more convincing