Lesson 33: Talking About Myself & Writing

Parler de moi — A Full Self-Introduction & Writing a Message · A0 → A1 · Part 5 · Confidence & Consolidation

You will introduce yourself in 8 to 12 sentences using everything you have learned. You will write a short formal email and a short informal text message. And you will write about last weekend with the passé composé and about next weekend with the futur proche.

In this lesson

• extended self-introduction
• writing a short message
• email and text conventions
• linking ideas

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

Grammar

How a French message starts and ends (register matters!)

French letters and emails have fixed openings and closings, and choosing the wrong one sounds rude. To a stranger, a company, a teacher or the administration, open with 'Bonjour,' or, if you do not know the person, 'Madame, Monsieur,' — and close with 'Cordialement' or 'Bien à vous'. To a friend you can open with 'Salut !' or 'Coucou !' and close with 'Bisous', 'Biz', '@+' or 'À plus tard'. The question 'Ça va ?' belongs to friends only: it is far too casual for a formal email. One more French habit: never start a formal message with 'Hi' or with the person's first name alone — Bonjour comes first.

Writing about last weekend and next weekend

This is the key A1 writing task. For last weekend use the passé composé with a past time marker: 'Samedi dernier, je suis allé au restaurant' or 'Hier, j'ai regardé un film'. Most verbs take avoir, movement verbs (aller, venir, arriver, partir) take être. For next weekend use the futur proche with a future time marker: 'Samedi prochain, je vais visiter ma famille'. The time marker can go at the beginning or at the end of the sentence — both are correct, but if you put it at the beginning you need a comma.

Examples

Dialogue: Un échange de messages (et un email formel)

Say it out loud

• Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Ayesha et j'ai vingt-deux ans. — Hello! My name is Ayesha and I am twenty-two. The whole sentence should flow without pauses.
• Je suis pakistanaise et j'habite à Lahore. — I am Pakistani and I live in Lahore. j'habite — the h is silent: 'zha-beet'.
• Je parle ourdou, anglais et un peu français. — I speak Urdu, English and a little French. un peu = 'un puh' — the p of peu is pronounced.
• D'abord, le matin, je me lève à sept heures. — First, in the morning, I get up at seven. je me lève — a reflexive verb from lesson 21.
• Ensuite, j'ai mes cours et j'étudie à la bibliothèque. — Then I have my classes and I study in the library. bibliothèque is long — say it in four parts.
• Samedi dernier, je suis allée au restaurant avec mes amis. — Last Saturday I went to the restaurant with my friends. je suis allée — the extra e shows a woman is speaking.
• Samedi prochain, je vais visiter ma famille à Karachi. — Next Saturday I am going to visit my family in Karachi. je vais visiter = futur proche, two verbs together.
• J'écris ce message parce que je veux un ami français. — I am writing this message because I want a French friend. un ami links to 'un na-mee' — that is liaison.
• Cordialement, Ayesha Khan. — Kind regards, Ayesha Khan. Your formal email closing. No stress on the last syllable.

Listening practice: An email read aloud

Remember this

• A full self-introduction uses everything: name, age, nationality, city, family, job or studies, languages, hobbies, routine.
• Open a formal message with 'Bonjour,' or 'Madame, Monsieur,'. Close it with 'Cordialement,' or 'Bien à vous,'.
• Friends: Salut ! / Coucou ! / Ça va ? … Bisous / Biz / @+ / À plus tard.
• Ça va ? never goes in a formal email or a text to a company.
• Text abbreviations: @+ = à plus (see you later), biz = bisous (kisses), merci bcp = merci beaucoup.
• Connectors to link ideas: et, mais, aussi, parce que, d'abord, ensuite, enfin.
• Last weekend → passé composé + hier / samedi dernier / la semaine dernière.
• Next weekend → futur proche + demain / samedi prochain / la semaine prochaine.
• Age uses avoir: j'ai vingt-deux ans.
• A language takes the article: je parle l'ourdou, j'étudie le français.

Common mistakes

Practice questions

• Which closing belongs in a formal email? Bisous / @+ / Cordialement / Coucou — Cordialement
• How do you open an email to a company when you do not know the name? Salut ! / Coucou, / Madame, Monsieur, / Ça va ? — Madame, Monsieur,
• 'Ça va ?' at the start of a message is appropriate with… your boss / a close friend / the administration / a new client — a close friend
• Which sentence is about last weekend? Demain, je vais jouer au foot. / Hier, j'ai regardé un film. / Samedi prochain, je vais voyager. / Maintenant, je travaille. — Hier, j'ai regardé un film.
• Complete: 'Samedi prochain, je ___ visiter ma famille.' vais / suis / ai / fais — vais
• Complete: 'Samedi dernier, je ___ allée au restaurant.' vais / suis / ai / fais — suis
• Which connector means 'because'? mais / parce que / ensuite / aussi — parce que
• Which connector shows a contrast between two ideas? et / mais / aussi / d'abord — mais
• In a text message, what does '@+' mean? thank you very much / see you later / I am late / good evening — see you later
• 'biz' (from bisous) should be written only to… your boss / the administration / close friends and family / a hotel receptionist — close friends and family

Homework (20 minutes)

1) Write your own self-introduction of 10 sentences using the writingBlocks list: name, age, nationality, city, family, work or studies, languages, hobbies, routine, and one sentence about French. 2) Then write two short paragraphs: one about last weekend with the passé composé (3 sentences) and one about next weekend with the futur proche (3 sentences). 3) Finally, write the same request twice: once as a text message to a friend and once as a formal email to a school. Read all of it out loud.

Lesson 33 of 45 · Part 5 · Confidence & Consolidation · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2