Verb tense recognition in French (listening activity)

Fancy some tense recognition? 

When it comes to listening to French people speaking, wouldn’t we just like some more practice, especially when it comes to recognising verbs in the past, present and future . . . and more 

Therefore, I have a mini listening activity for you - can you work out what you're listening to this?

Here's what you will be focusing on in this mini-lesson:

•  Listening to an extract of spoken French to identify different tenses
•  Working out the tenses of the verbs
•  Checking your listening accuracy

How a chart can boost your tense recognition.

When it comes to identifying tenses, a simple grammar chart can help you tremendously. Why?

Because you get some references, think about them and contrast them. 

I suggest you make a little chart to help you with your grammar: I will show you a chart of the answers afterward as well as the script and the translation. 

What are the benefits of dictation for your learning?

First, the results of dictation are incredible. Let's explain why.

Because it requires a lot of concentration, deciphering the words in sentences, guessing the spelling, and so on.

Guidelines to make the most of this listening exercise in French.

Watch the video, just listening first then again, trying to note everything you can. Repeat it as many times as you like. You can even slow it down and use it for pronunciation practice. DON’T watch the video at first or you will see the text. 

Then, when you think you have finished it, check below in order to see the complete transcription of it and the translation. If you used it for a dictation, then you can check your written version against the original.

Don’t despair if you don’t recognise all the words! This is the best exercise you can do because the more you practise dictations, the easier it gets to understand French.

My goal this year is to help you with your listening comprehension and offer you various listening activities during the year.

If you struggle with your listening skills and are looking to have more fluid conversations with like minded people at your level of French, then check out how having a teacher support in small groups could make a massive difference to your spontaneous listening skills.

Here’s how joining Conversation Café can help you understand spontaneous spoken French more easily.

Click here to check out our conversation café sample.

Transcript and the Translation 

Charles Ingalls, sa femme Caroline, leurs trois filles Mary, Laura et Carrie ainsi que leur chien Jack, décident de quitter le Wisconsin pour émigrer vers l'Ouest. 

Un long voyage sur un modeste chariot de pionniers bâché les attend pour aller au Kansas, un vaste État aux grandes étendues de prairies verdoyantes. 

Après un certain temps, et ayant rencontré de multiples événements tragiques, ils ont dû abandonner leur maison de rondins pour venir s'installer à Plum Creek dans le Minnesota, où les terres sont fertiles. 

Là, Charles construira sa propre ferme et il travaillera comme employé à la scierie du village.

Après seulement une année, il aura construit une belle ferme pour sa belle famille. Tout est bien qui finit bien. 

And here’s the English . . .

Charles Ingalls, his wife Caroline, their 3 girls Mary, Laura, and Carrie as well as their dog Jack, decide to leave Wisconsin to emigrate West. 

A modest covered pioneer wagon is waiting for them to go to Kansas, a vast state with great expanses of green meadows.

After a while, and having encountered many tragic events, they had to abandon their log cabin to come and settle at Plum Creek in Minnesota, where the land is fertile.

There, Charles will build his own farm and he will work as an employee of the village saw mill. 

After only one year, he will have constructed a beautiful farm for his beautiful family.  All is well that ends well.

The verb tenses in the text.

Let's focus on the verbs present in the script. Have you identified each tense with your chart?

Here's the correction with the verbs:

Charles Ingalls, sa femme Caroline, leurs trois filles Mary, Laura et Carrie ainsi que leur chien Jack, décident de quitter le Wisconsin pour émigrer vers l'Ouest. 

Un long voyage sur un modeste chariot de pionniers bâché les attend pour aller au Kansas, un vaste État aux grandes étendues de prairies verdoyantes. 

Après un certain temps, et ayant rencontré de multiples événements tragiques, ils ont dû abandonner leur maison de rondins pour venir s'installer à Plum Creek dans le Minnesota, où les terres sont fertiles. 

Là, Charles construira sa propre ferme et il travaillera comme employé à la scierie du village.
Après seulement une année, il aura construit une belle ferme pour sa belle famille. Tout est bien qui finit bien.

I hope you found this activity helpful and that you had fun in the process. Let me know about your experience. I'd love to hear it!