Four situations to express your impressions of an experience in French
Podcast of article content in French
Introduction
You want to talk in French about something you've seen, heard or experienced. To do that, of course, you need to know how to describe a scene and an action. But that's not all. You often want to express your feelings. You want to express what you personally think.
For that, you need vocabulary relating to feelings and impressions. So, by using common, practical turns of phrase, you'll be able to communicate more easily.
The aim is to enable you to speak more naturally, With greater fluency.
In this article, we'll look at how to talk positively and negatively about a film, video or program you've seen or heard. Then we'll do the same with something you've personally experienced.
We'll see texts in 2 versions: a simple version for A2 and B1 learners (DELF levels) and a more advanced version for B1 and B2 learners (DELF levels). We'll also list some useful vocabulary and expressions to give you more tools for expressing yourself in French.
「相手の心をひきつけるエピソードを語るためのフランス語表現16個」、click here..
Talk about something you've seen or heard in French
Talk in French about a video or audio content that positively impressed you
Write a text in French about a piece of content that made a positive impression on you
A text at A2 / B1 level
En ce moment, je regarde une série sur internet.
Cette série est une adaptation d’un roman célèbre.
Ce roman est difficile à adapter.
Mais la réalisation est bien réussie.
Elle correspond à l’esprit général du roman.
J’ai été impressionné par les acteurs.
Leurs personnages correspondent parfaitement aux personnages du roman.
Le réalisateur a su traduire l’atmosphère du roman en images.
Cette série est vraiment innovante.
Je suis accro à cette série.
Je ne manque jamais un épisode.
English version :
At the moment, I'm watching a series on the Internet. This series is an adaptation of a famous novel. The novel is difficult to adapt. But it's well done. It matches the general spirit of the novel. I was impressed by the actors. Their characters perfectly match those in the novel. The director was able to translate the atmosphere of the novel into images. This series is really innovative. I'm addicted to this series. I never miss an episode.
A text at B1 / B2 level
En ce moment, je regarde une série sur internet qui est adaptée d’un roman célèbre.
Malgré la difficulté à adapter ce genre de roman en film ou en série, la réalisation est bien réussie.
La série correspond bien à l’esprit général du roman.
Et les acteurs qui correspondent quasiment parfaitement aux personnages du roman sont impressionnants.
C’est une série vraiment innovante dans laquelle le réalisateur a su traduire l’atmosphère du roman en images.
Je suis vraiment acco à cette série dont je ne manque aucun épisode.
English version :
At the moment, I'm watching a series on the Internet that's adapted from a famous novel. Despite the difficulty of adapting this kind of novel into a film or series, the production is well done. The series corresponds well to the general spirit of the novel. And the actors, who match the novel's characters almost perfectly, are impressive. It's a truly innovative series in which the director has managed to translate the atmosphere of the novel into images. I'm really hooked on this series, and don't miss a single episode.
French vocabulary and useful expressions to talk about content that makes a positive impression
Adjectives to qualify content that impressed you positively:
Impressionnant (masculin) / impressionnante (féminin) : impressive
Intéressant / intéressante : interesting
Émouvant / émouvante : moving
Fascinant / fascinante : fascinating
Passionnant / passionnante : exiting
Captivant / captivante : captivating
Expressions to qualify content that impressed you positively:
Savoir au passé composé
"Savoir" at past tense
L’acteur a su incarner le personnage.
The actor knew how to embody the character.
Le réalisateur a su adapter le roman en film à succès.
The director was able to adapt the novel into a successful film.
Correspondre à
La série correspond à l’esprit général du roman.
The series matches the general spirit of the novel.
Les acteurs correspondent quasiment parfaitement aux personnages du roman.
The actors match the characters in the novel almost perfectly.
La musique du film correspond bien à l’ambiance.
The film's music fits the mood well.
Trouver (find)
J’ai trouvé ce film passionnant.
I found this film exciting.
Talk in French about a video or audio content that made a negative impression on you
A text in French to talk about content that impressed you negatively
A text at A2 / B1 level
J’ai regardé un film.
L’histoire de ce film est dans le futur.
Le personnage principal est un homme très malade.
Il va mourir bientôt.
Il décide de se faire cloner en secret.
Comme ça, son clone prendra sa place après sa mort.
Il s’occupera de sa famille.
Au milieu du processus, le personnage principal doute.
La responsable de l’institut l’influence pour terminer le processus.
J’ai trouvé ce film intéressant et bien réalisé.
Mais j’ai trouvé ce film effrayant.
Pouvoir remplacer une personne par une autre est dangereux.
English version :
I watched a movie. The story of this movie is in the future. The main character is a very sick man. He's going to die soon. He decides to have himself cloned in secret. That way, his clone will take his place after his death. He'll take care of his family. In the middle of the process, the main character has doubts. The head of the institute influences him to complete the process. I found this film interesting and well-made. But I also found it frightening. Being able to replace one person with another is dangerous.
A text at B1 / B2 level
J’ai regardé un film dont l’histoire est futuriste.
Le personnage principal du film est un homme très malade qui va bientôt mourir.
Sa famille n’est pas au courant car il le lui cache.
En secret, il fait appel aux services d’institut qui fabrique son clone pour prendre sa place auprès de sa famille avant sa mort.
Ce film est intéressant et bien réalisé mais je l’ai trouvé effrayant et déprimant.
J’ai eu la sensation qu’on pourrait remplacer un individu par un autre sans que les gens ne s’en rendent compte.
C’est comme si notre individualité ne nous appartenait plus.
Ou comme si l’homme se prenait pour Dieu.
English version :
I watched a film with a futuristic storyline. The main character is a very sick man who is about to die. His family doesn't know because he's hiding it from them. In secret, he calls on the services of an institute that makes his clone to take his place with his family before he dies. The film is interesting and well-made, but I found it frightening and depressing. I had the feeling that one individual could be replaced by another without people realizing it. It's as if our individuality no longer belonged to us. Or as if man thought he was God.
50 words and expressions to talk about movies in French,click here..
Vocabulary and useful expressions in French to talk about content that made a negative impression on you
French adjectives to describe content that has made a negative impression on you:
Effrayant (masculin) / effrayante (féminin) : scary
Déprimant / déprimante : depressing
Décevant / décevante : disappointing
Ennuyeux / ennuyeuse : boring
Phrases to describe content that impressed you negatively :
Trouver
J’ai trouvé ce film intéressant et bien réalisé.
I found this film interesting and well made.
Mais j’ai trouvé ce film effrayant.
But I found this film frightening.
J’ai trouvé cette série ennuyeuse.
I found this series boring.
J’ai trouvé les acteurs mauvais.
I found the actors bad.
Talk about a story you've experienced in French
Talk in French about a positive experience you've had
Write in French about something positive you've experienced
A text at A2 / B1 level
J’ai été invité à une soirée.
Il y avait beaucoup de monde.
Je ne connaissais pas beaucoup de personnes.
Mais j’ai rencontré des personnes intéressantes.
On a beaucoup parlé.
On a échangé nos numéros de téléphone.
On va se revoir bientôt.
C’était vraiment une super soirée.
C’était inattendu.
C’était une bonne surprise.
Je ne m’attendais pas à faire de si bonnes rencontres.
English version :
I was invited to a party. There were a lot of people there. I didn't know many people. But I met some interesting people. We talked a lot. We exchanged phone numbers. We'll be seeing each other again soon. It was really a great evening. It was unexpected. It was a nice surprise. I didn't expect to meet such nice people.
A text at B1 / B2 level
J’ai été invité à une soirée où il y avait beaucoup de monde.
Je n’y connaissais pas beaucoup de monde mais j’y ai rencontré des personnes intéressantes.
J’ai vraiment envie d’approfondir la relation avec les gens que j’ai rencontrés.
On a beaucoup parlé et comme on s’entendait bien, on a échangé nos numéros.
C’était vraiment inattendu comme soirée et surtout une bonne surprise.
Je ne m’attendais pas à faire de si bonnes rencontres.
English version :
I was invited to a party where there were a lot of people. I didn't know many people there, but I met some interesting people. I really want to deepen the relationship with the people I met. We talked a lot and since we got on well, we exchanged numbers. It was a really unexpected evening and above all a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to meet such good people.
French 2 main past tenses "passé composé" and "imparfait"click here..
Useful French vocabulary and expressions to talk about something you've experienced positively
Adjectives in French to describe something you've experienced positively:
Intéressant (masculin) / intéressante (féminin) : interesting
Amusant / amusante : funny
Passionnant / passionnante : exiting
Captivant / captivante : captivating
Agréable / agréable : pleasant
Expressions to qualify something you have experienced positively :
Une bonne surprise
A pleasant surprise
Ma visite de ce musée a vraiment été une bonne surprise.
My visit to this museum was really a pleasant surprise.
S’amuser
Having fun
Je me suis bien amusé(e).
I had a lot of fun.
Si + un adjectif + que (…)
C’est un si bon plat que j’en mange régulièrement.
It's such a good dish that I eat it regularly.
C’était si amusant que je n’ai pas vu le temps passer.
It was so much fun that I didn't see the time go by.
C’est un paysage si beau que je pourrais passer des heures à le regarder.
It's such a beautiful landscape that I could spend hours looking at it.
C’est si agréable de boire un verre de vin en mangeant du fromage.
It's so nice to drink a glass of wine while eating cheese.
Ce restaurant est si populaire qu’il faut réserver au moins 3 mois à l’avance.
This restaurant is so popular that you have to book at least 3 months in advance.
Tellement (…) que (…)
Il y avait tellement de choses intéressantes à voir que je n’ai pas vu le temps passer.
There were so many interesting things to see that I didn't see the time go by.
Tant de / un nom / que (…)
Il y avait tant de bons plats dans ce restaurant que j’ai trop mangé.
There was so much good food in this restaurant that I ate too much.
Talk in French about a negative episode you've experienced
A text in French about something negative you have experienced
A text at A2 / B1 level
J’ai été invité à une soirée.
j’étais fatigué et pas trop motivé mais j’y suis allé quand même.
Il y avait vraiment trop de monde.
Il y avait trop de bruit.
On ne pouvait pas parler.
En plus, j’étais trop fatigué.
Bref, ça n’a vraiment pas été une bonne soirée pour moi.
French → English translation
I was invited to a party. I was tired and not very motivated, but I went anyway. It was really too crowded. There was too much noise. We couldn't talk. Plus, I was too tired. In short, it really wasn't a good evening for me.
A text at B1 / B2 level
J’ai été invité à une soirée où il y avait vraiment trop de monde.
En plus, j’étais fatigué et pas trop motivé si bien que je n’y ai pas passé un bon moment.
Il y avait tant de monde et de bruit qu’on ne s’entendait plus parler.
J’étais tellement crevé que j’avais du mal à tenir debout.
Bref, c’était une soirée assez catastrophique pour moi.
French → English translation
I was invited to a party where there were really too many people. What's more, I was tired and not very motivated, so I didn't have a good time. There were so many people and so much noise that we couldn't hear each other talk. I was so exhausted I could hardly stand up. In short, it was a pretty disastrous evening for me.
10 useful French expressions to describe happenings,click here..
Useful French vocabulary and expressions to talk about something you've experienced negatively
French adjectives to describe something you've experienced negatively:
Décevant / décevante : disappointing
Désagréable / désagréable : unpleasant
Mauvais / mauvaise : bad
Catastrophique / catastrophique : catastrophic
Fatigant / fatigante : tiring
Expressions to qualify something you have experienced negatively :
Une catastrophe
L’événement s’est très mal passé. C’était une catastrophe.
The event went very badly. It was a catastrophe.
Trop + un adjectif
C’était trop fatigant.
It was too tiring.
Tellement (…) que (…)
J’étais tellement crevé que j’avais du mal à tenir debout.
I was so exhausted I could hardly stand.
Tant de / un nom / que (…)
Il y avait tant de monde et de bruit qu’on ne s’entendait plus parler.
There were so many people and so much noise that we couldn't hear each other talk.
To conclude
In this article, we've looked at how to talk in French about something you've seen, heard or experienced. We've seen that to express your feelings, you need vocabulary relating to feelings and impressions. So, by using common, practical turns of phrase, you'll be able to communicate more easily.
The aim is to enable you to speak more naturally and fluently. We have seen examples of texts in 2 versions: a simple version for learners at levels A2 and B1 (DELF levels) and a more advanced version for levels B1 and B2 (DELF levels).
We've also listed some useful vocabulary and expressions to give you more tools for expressing yourself in French. We hope you have found this article useful.To go further, To improve your ability to talk about something you've seen, heard or experienced, we recommend :Practice regularly. The more you talk, the more comfortable you'll feel expressing your feelings and impressions. Read and listen to texts and conversations in French. This will familiarize you with the vocabulary and expressions used to talk about these kinds of subjects. Ask native speakers for feedback. They can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and offer advice on how to improve your expression. With a little practice, you'll soon be able to speak fluently and naturally about your experiences in French.
