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A method for the English into French translation: find the verbs, choose the tense, build with safe French and check agreement, articles and negatives.
In the writing paper you translate short sentences or a passage from English into French. Marks are given for conveying the key messages and for applying your grammar: verbs in the right tense, correct agreement, correct word order, articles and negatives. You are not marked on fancy vocabulary, so use French you know well.
It is a test of accuracy, so keep it simple. If you do not know a word, use another way to say it: "bakery" can be «la boulangerie» or «où on vend du pain». Do not leave gaps. Write a French sentence for every English sentence. Tap the words to hear them.
Read the English sentence and find the verbs. For each, decide the person (who), the tense (when) and the meaning. Then find the subject, the object, the time words and any negatives. Build the French around the verb: «J'ai mangé une pizza hier» is the verb «ai mangé» (perfect), the object «une pizza» and the time «hier».
Check the French as you write. For each verb ask: is the subject right? Is the ending right? For each noun ask: what gender? What article? For each adjective ask: does it agree, and does it go before or after? Last, check little words: «ne … pas», «de» after a negative, «au» and «aux», «du» and «des».
Which is the correct French for "We did not eat meat"?
Nous n'avons pas mangé de viande. The negative surrounds avons, and de replaces the article.
Some English phrases need a different French verb. Age: «avoir» ("I am fifteen" → «j'ai quinze ans»). Weather: «faire» ("It is hot" → «il fait chaud»). Feelings: «avoir» ("I am hungry" → «j'ai faim», "I am cold" → «j'ai froid»). Time: «il est huit heures». Likes: «aimer» plus an article ("I like cheese" → «j'aime le fromage»). Where you go: «aller» plus «à» ("I go to school" → «je vais à l'école»).
Prepositions do not map neatly: "in Paris" is «à Paris», "in France" is «en France», "on the train" is «dans le train», "by bike" is «à vélo», "by car" is «en voiture». "There is / there are" is «il y a». "To play football" is «jouer au foot», but "to play the piano" is «jouer du piano». Learn these as phrases.
Articles: French needs "the" for likes ("I like music" → «j'aime la musique»), "some" for amounts ("I eat bread" → «je mange du pain»), and "de" after a negative ("I do not have a brother" → «je n'ai pas de frère»). Contractions: "to the" is «au» / «aux» / «à la». "Of the" is «du» / «des» / «de la».
Agreement: adjectives agree with the noun ("my big sisters" → «mes grandes sœurs»), and the participle agrees with être verbs ("she went" → «elle est allée»). Word order: adjective after the noun except for a few short ones; pronouns before the verb ("I see him" → «je le vois»). Avoid "-ing": "I am eating" is «je mange»; "after eating" is «après avoir mangé».
How do you say "My friends went to the cinema" (girls)?
Mes amies sont allées au cinéma. Aller takes être, the participle agrees with the feminine plural, and à + le makes au.
Read the time clue. "Yesterday I played" is the perfect: «Hier, j'ai joué». "When I was little, I played" is the imperfect: «Quand j'étais petit, je jouais». "Tomorrow I am going to play" is the near future: «Demain, je vais jouer». "Next year I will play" is the future: «L'année prochaine, je jouerai». "I would play" is the conditional: «Je jouerais». "I had played" is the pluperfect: «J'avais joué».
Special cases: "I have lived here for two years" (still) is the present with depuis: «J'habite ici depuis deux ans». "I used to go" is the imperfect: «J'allais». "If I had time, I would help" is si plus the imperfect and the conditional: «Si j'avais le temps, j'aiderais». "After eating" is «après avoir mangé». Match the tense to the time word first.
Translate: "Last summer I went to Spain with my family. It was very hot, so we spent a lot of time at the beach. Next year I would like to visit Italy."
Model: «L'été dernier, je suis allé en Espagne avec ma famille. Il faisait très chaud, donc nous avons passé beaucoup de temps à la plage. L'année prochaine, je voudrais visiter l'Italie.» Check: «je suis allé» (être), «en Espagne» (feminine country), «il faisait» (weather in the past), «nous avons passé» (spent), «beaucoup de temps», «je voudrais» (would like), «l'Italie» with the article.
How do you say "It was very hot" in the past?
Il faisait très chaud. The weather description in the past uses faire in the imperfect: il faisait.
Tick these off. Verbs: right person, right tense, right ending. Auxiliaries: avoir or être? Agreement of the participle with être. Nouns: gender and plural. Adjectives: agreement and position. Articles: le / la / les after likes; du / de la / des for some; de after a negative. Negatives: both parts. Pronouns: before the verb. Accents: é, è, ê, à, ç, ù. Spelling: the words you know.
Also check that every English idea has a French equivalent: time, place, number, opinion. Do not add extra details. If you have time, read your French aloud in your head: if a sentence sounds like English with French words, fix it. A short, correct sentence earns more than a long one with errors.
This is where you can show accuracy. Use phrases you know well and do not try new words. In your answer, keep the sentence order of the English. If you do not know one word, write around it: use a similar word or describe it. Never leave a sentence blank.
Practise by translating English sentences into French and checking against a model. Focus on your weak spots: age and weather phrases, être verbs, negatives with de, depuis, and object pronouns. Revise accents too, because a missing accent is a spelling error that can alter a word.
What should you do if you do not know the French word for a noun?
Use a word you know that conveys the meaning. Communicating the meaning in simple French can still earn the mark.
Translate into French: I am fourteen and I live in Manchester.
Answer: J'ai quatorze ans et j'habite à Manchester.
Translate into French: Yesterday we did not play football because it was raining.
Answer: Hier, nous n'avons pas joué au football parce qu'il pleuvait.
Translate into French: Next year I would like to study languages at university, because I have been learning Spanish for three years and I think that it is useful.
Answer: L'année prochaine, je voudrais étudier les langues à l'université parce que j'apprends l'espagnol depuis trois ans et je pense que c'est utile.
Try each one, then open the answer.
Translate into French: I am sixteen.
Answer: J'ai seize ans
Translate into French: It is cold.
Answer: Il fait froid
Translate into French: I like football.
Answer: J'aime le football
Translate into French: I am hungry.
Answer: J'ai faim
Translate into French: I do not eat meat.
Answer: Je ne mange pas de viande
Translate into French: Yesterday I went to the cinema. (a boy)
Answer: Hier, je suis allé au cinéma
Translate into French: We live in France and my sister lives in Spain.
Answer: Nous habitons en France et ma sœur habite en Espagne
Translate into French: I have just finished my homework.
Answer: Je viens de finir mes devoirs
Translate into French: When I was little, I used to play in the garden, but now I prefer to read.
Answer: Quand j'étais petit, je jouais dans le jardin, mais maintenant je préfère lire
Translate into French: If I had more time, I would play more sport and I would go out with my friends.
Answer: Si j'avais plus de temps, je ferais plus de sport et je sortirais avec mes amis
Translate into French: She told me that she had never seen the sea and that she would like to go there.
Answer: Elle m'a dit qu'elle n'avait jamais vu la mer et qu'elle voudrait y aller
Translate into French: Although it is expensive, I think it is necessary that we buy it.
Answer: Bien que ce soit cher, je pense qu'il faut que nous l'achetions
Longer tasks with the marking points. These are Yumio practice questions.
Translate into French. (a) I am fifteen. (b) Yesterday I went to the cinema. (c) I do not eat meat. [5 marks]
Answer: J'ai quinze ans. Hier, je suis allé au cinéma. Je ne mange pas de viande.
Translate into French: Last year I stayed with a French family. They were very kind and I learned a lot. If I had more time, I would go back there. [6 marks]
Answer: L'année dernière, j'ai logé chez une famille française. Ils étaient très gentils et j'ai beaucoup appris. Si j'avais plus de temps, j'y retournerais.
Je suis quinze ans
Age uses avoir: j'ai quinze ans.
Il est chaud
Weather uses faire: il fait chaud.
Je ne ai pas
Elide: je n'ai pas.
Je mange le pain
Use the partitive: je mange du pain.
Elle a allé
Aller uses être: elle est allée.
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