Where You Live

Where You Live: Vocabulary

  • Master a variety of descriptive words and phrases to portray the area you live in such as ‘pittoresque’, ‘animé’, ‘isolé’, etc.
  • Familiarise yourself with housing types and terms. This could be anything from ‘une maison mitoyenne’ to ‘un appartement’ and ‘une villa’.
  • Focus on geographical language such as ‘à la campagne’, ‘en ville’, ‘au bord de la mer’, etc., to describe the physical nature of your location.
  • Broaden your vocabulary to discuss the social and cultural aspects of your area, including phrases for community feel, neighbourliness, cultural diversity, etc.

Where You Live: Speaking

  • Practice speaking freely about your living environment. Use descriptive and precise vocabulary to create a vivid image in the listener’s mind.
  • Practice using different tenses when discussing your home and area – past for any changes, present for the current situation, and future for any planned modifications or ambitions.
  • Use emojis or feelings to express your opinion about your area - ‘Je trouve ma ville très vivante et dynamique’, or ‘J’adore la tranquillité de la campagne’.
  • Incorporate sentence fillers and connectives to make your speech flow naturally, such as ‘donc’, ‘par contre’, ‘en revanche’ etc.

Where You Live: Use of Language

  • Ensure you use the right prepositions with geographical terms. For instance, use ‘à’ with cities (‘à Paris’) and ‘en’ with feminine countries or regions (‘en France’).
  • Use the correct gender and number agreement for different terms such as ‘un quartier animé’ or ‘des quartiers animés’.
  • Use variety in sentence structures to display your language proficiency and versatility, such as employing complex sentences, subordinate clauses, and different verb forms.
  • Try to use some French idioms or cultural references linked to home or areas, like ‘se sentir comme chez soi’ or ‘Il y fait bon vivre’.
  • Remain aware of your register. Whilst it’s likely to be largely informal or neutral when discussing your home, certain contexts may require formality.