During the holidays (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
During the holidays
Holiday vocabulary
Learning holiday-related vocabulary is essential for discussing your travel experiences and plans in French. Building a strong foundation of themed vocabulary will help you express yourself more confidently when talking about holidays and travel.
Learning Tip: Group vocabulary by themes (places, activities, items) rather than learning random words. This approach helps with retention and makes it easier to recall related terms during conversations.
Places to visit
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à l'étranger | abroad |
| à la montagne | in the mountains |
| au bord de la mer | at the seaside |
| à la côte (f) | coast |
| en été | in summer |
| en hiver | in winter |
| mer (f) | sea |
| neige (f) | snow |
| plage (f) | beach |
| sable (m) | sand |
Holiday activities and items
| French | English |
|---|---|
| concert (m) | concert |
| souvenir (m) | souvenir |
| tourisme (m) | tourism |
| vacances (fpl) | holidays |
| visite (f) | visit, excursion |
| voyage (m) | journey |
Example sentences in context:
- Pendant les vacances, je vais au bord de la mer. (During the holidays, I go to the seaside.)
- J'adore faire de la natation dans la mer. (I love swimming in the sea.)
- Nous achetons des souvenirs pour ma famille. (We buy souvenirs for my family.)
Grammar: Using "to" with places
When saying "to" in French, the word changes depending on the type of noun you're using. This is crucial for describing where you're going on holiday and is one of the most fundamental aspects of French grammar.
Critical Grammar Rule: The word for "to" in French changes based on the gender and number of the noun. Getting this wrong is one of the most common mistakes for English speakers learning French.
Rules for "to"
The Four Key Rules:
- Masculine words: Use au
- Je vais au concert. (I'm going to the concert.)
- Feminine words: Use à la
- Je suis allé(e) à la montagne. (I went to the mountains.)
- Singular words starting with a vowel or h: Use à l'
- Je voudrais aller à l'étranger. (I would like to go abroad.)
- Plural words: Use aux
- On peut aller aux toilettes. (You can go to the toilets.)
Practice with holiday destinations
These examples show how the rules apply specifically to holiday contexts:
Worked Examples: Holiday Destinations
- Je vais au bord de la mer. (I'm going to the seaside.) - masculine
- Nous allons à la plage. (We're going to the beach.) - feminine
- *Il voyage **à l'*étranger. (He's travelling abroad.) - starts with vowel
- Vous allez aux montagnes. (You're going to the mountains.) - plural
Flexible phrases for speaking exams
These sentence starters help you sound more natural and give you time to think during speaking assessments. Having a repertoire of go-to phrases is invaluable for building confidence in oral exams.
Key phrase: Pendant les vacances, je... (During the holidays, I...)
This phrase can begin many different responses about holiday activities, making it extremely versatile for exam situations.
Exam Strategy: When answering speaking exam questions, listen carefully to what's being asked. You can often use pendant les vacances to start your answer, which gives you a moment to organise your thoughts while sounding confident and fluent. This technique is particularly effective because it shows you understand the topic context immediately.
Translation practice
Practice is essential for consolidating your understanding of holiday vocabulary and grammar rules.
Translation Exercise:
French to English:
- Pendant les vacances, je vais normalement au bord de la mer.
- De temps en temps, j'achète des souvenirs pour ma famille.
English to French:
- In summer, I go to the mountains.
- We visit the beach when it's hot.
Answers:
- During the holidays, I normally go to the seaside.
- From time to time, I buy souvenirs for my family.
- En été, je vais à la montagne.
- Nous visitons la plage quand il fait chaud.
Key Points to Remember:
- Masculine places use au (au concert, au bord de la mer)
- Feminine places use à la (à la montagne, à la plage)
- Vowel-starting places use à l' (à l'étranger)
- Plural places use aux (aux toilettes)
- Start speaking answers with Pendant les vacances, je... to buy thinking time
- Learn tourism vocabulary in themed groups (places, activities, items) for better retention