Sentence Builder: At the Beach
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about what you did and saw at the beach, using the past tense in French.
Asking About Past Activities
French
English
Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait hier ?
What did you do yesterday?
Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait le week-end dernier ?
What did you do last weekend?
Qu’est-ce que vous avez vu ?
What did you see?
Time Expressions
French
English
hier
yesterday
le week-end dernier
last weekend
la semaine dernière
last week
l’année dernière
last year
Sentence Builder
Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait à la plage ?
What did you do at the beach?
Start with a time
Hier,
Yesterday
Le week-end dernier,
Last weekend
La semaine dernière,
Last week
L’année dernière,
Last year
Say where you went
j’ai visité…
I visited…
nous avons visité…
we visited…
la plage.
the beach.
la côte.
the coast.
une île.
an island.
Say what you saw
J’ai vu…
I saw…
Nous avons vu…
We saw…
la mer.
the sea.
des coquillages.
shells.
un phare.
a lighthouse.
j’ai visité
means “I visited” or “I have visited”.
j’ai vu
means “I saw” or “I have seen”.
Two-sentence mini story
Use one sentence for where you went, then one for what you saw.
Grammar Focus: The Perfect Tense (Le Passé Composé)
All of these examples are written in the past tense, specifically the perfect tense (le passé composé).
In French, the perfect tense is made of two parts:
- The present tense of avoir (to have)
- The past participle of the main verb
For example:
- J’ai visité → I visited / I have visited
- Elle a vu → She saw / She has seen
You can think of it as similar to the English “I have done,” though in French it often translates as “I did.”
French
English
How it works
j’ai visité
I visited / I have visited
j’ai
+ past participle
nous avons visité
we visited / we have visited
nous avons
+ past participle
j’ai vu
I saw / I have seen
vu
is the past participle of voir
nous avons vu
we saw / we have seen
avons vu
= have seen / saw
Remember:
In French, the perfect tense often uses a form of avoir plus a past participle:
j’ai visité, j’ai vu, nous avons visité, nous avons vu.
Try It Yourself: At the Beach
Translate each sentence into French. Think of your answer first, then reveal the model answer.
Question 1
Give the following in French:
Yesterday, I visited the beach.
Hier, j’ai visité la plage.
Question 2
Give the following in French:
Last weekend, we visited the coast.
Le week-end dernier, nous avons visité la côte.
Question 3
Give the following in French:
I saw the sea.
J’ai vu la mer.
Question 4
Give the following in French:
We saw shells.
Nous avons vu des coquillages.
Question 5
Give the following in French:
Last year, we visited an island and we saw a lighthouse.
L’année dernière, nous avons visité une île et nous avons vu un phare.
Video
Video: The French Riveria
Here’s a quick introduction to the French Riviera. This link will open a new window in YouTube.