Abroad (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Abroad (À l'étranger)
Countries and places vocabulary
Understanding how to talk about different countries and travel destinations is essential for discussing holidays and travel plans. French countries have different genders, which affects the grammar you use with them.
Gender is crucial! Each French country has a specific gender that determines which preposition you must use when saying "in" or "to" that country. Learning the gender alongside the country name will save you from making common mistakes.
| French | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Afrique (f) | Africa | feminine |
| Algérie (f) | Algeria | feminine |
| Amérique (f) | America | feminine |
| Angleterre (f) | England | feminine |
| Asie (f) | Asia | feminine |
| Canada (m) | Canada | masculine |
| Europe (f) | Europe | feminine |
| France (f) | France | feminine |
| Madagascar (m) | Madagascar | masculine |
| Martinique (f) | Martinique | feminine |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à l'étranger | abroad |
| passer (time) | to spend (time) |
| pays (m) | country |
| paysage (m) | landscape |
| sur la côte | on the coast |
| visiter | to visit |
| vue (f) | view |
| étonnant(e) | incredible/amazing |
Example Sentences Using Countries:
- Je vais en France cet été. (I'm going to France this summer.)
- Il habite au Canada depuis deux ans. (He has lived in Canada for two years.)
- Nous voyageons aux États-Unis. (We are travelling to the USA.)
Grammar: saying "in" and "to" with countries
The preposition you use depends on the gender and number of the country. This is a crucial grammar point for GCSE French.
Critical Grammar Rules for Country Prepositions:
Feminine countries - use en
Most countries ending in -e are feminine.
- Je vais en France. (I'm going to France.)
- Elle habite en Angleterre. (She lives in England.)
Masculine countries - use au
Countries not ending in -e are usually masculine.
- Je suis au Canada. (I'm in Canada.)
- Ils voyagent au Madagascar. (They're travelling to Madagascar.)
Plural countries - use aux
Countries with plural names (often containing "États" or "Pays").
- Je vais aux États-Unis. (I'm going to the USA.)
Memory tip: Think of feminine countries as flowing naturally with "en" - most end in "-e" just like many feminine nouns.
Travel experiences
When describing travel experiences, you'll often use the perfect tense and descriptive language to create engaging narratives about your trips.
Key travel vocabulary:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| sports d'hiver (mpl) | winter sports |
| ferme (f) | farm |
| lac (m) | lake |
| plage (f) | beach |
| campagne (f) | countryside |
| vacances (fpl) | holidays |
| tante (f) | aunt |
| oncle (m) | uncle |
Sample Travel Description:
Je n'ai jamais voyagé à l'étranger mais un jour j'aimerais aller en Martinique car le paysage est tellement beau.
(I have never travelled abroad but one day I would like to go to Martinique because the landscape is so beautiful.)
Notice how this sentence combines the perfect tense (j'ai voyagé), conditional (j'aimerais), and descriptive language (tellement beau) to create a natural, flowing response.
Exam techniques
Reading comprehension tips
Essential Reading Strategy:
- Look for key words in the question before reading the text
- Don't assume - check details carefully. In the example, Hugo lives on the coast, but his aunt and uncle live on a farm
- Use context clues to work out unfamiliar vocabulary
- Time expressions are often tested: normalement (usually), le mois prochain (next month)
Translation exercises
Translation Practice:
French to English:
- Mes grands-parents passent les vacances avec nous.
- Ma mère préfère faire de la natation.
English to French:
- I like visiting museums with my grandfather.
- We spend our holidays in the countryside.
Answers:
- My grandparents spend the holidays with us. / My mother prefers swimming.
- J'aime visiter les musées avec mon grand-père. / Nous passons nos vacances à la campagne.
Pronunciation tips
Master these key pronunciation patterns to sound more confident:
- Martinique - pronounced "Mar-tin-EECK"
- paysage - the "ay" sounds like the English word "say"
- étonnant - remember the double "n" sound
Key Points to Remember:
- Feminine countries (usually ending in -e) use en: en France, en Angleterre
- Masculine countries use au: au Canada, au Madagascar
- Plural countries use aux: aux États-Unis
- Learn country genders - they affect which preposition to use
- Practice describing travel experiences using past and conditional tenses for exam success