French - Habits

J'essaie de ne pas ___.

I try not to ___.

Meaning: I try not to ___.

When to use: Use this to say you avoid a habit or behavior; the blank takes an infinitive verb.

Tip: Learners sometimes use a conjugated verb after 'de' instead of the infinitive.

Je passe environ ___ minutes à ___ chaque jour.

I spend about ___ minutes ___ each day.

Meaning: I spend about ___ minutes ___ each day.

When to use: Describe how much time you spend on a daily routine; after 'à' the verb should be in the infinitive.

Tip: Don't use 'pour' instead of 'à' before the infinitive in this frame.

Je fais ça environ ___ fois par semaine.

I do that about ___ times a week.

Meaning: I do that about ___ times a week.

When to use: Give an approximate frequency for a repeated action.

Tu ___ normalement quand ?

When do you normally ___?

Meaning: When do you normally ___?

When to use: Ask about what time or in what situation someone usually does an activity; the blank takes a verb conjugated for 'tu'.

Qu'est-ce que tu fais avant ___ ?

What do you do before ___?

Meaning: What do you do before ___?

When to use: Ask what someone does before an activity, moment, or named event; the blank can be a noun, moment, or infinitive.

J'ai commencé à ___ récemment.

I started ___ recently.

Meaning: I started ___ recently.

When to use: Use to say a habit or routine is new; the blank takes an infinitive.

J'ai arrêté de ___ parce que ___.

I stopped ___ because ___.

Meaning: I stopped ___ because ___.

When to use: Say you ended a habit and give a simple reason; the first blank takes an infinitive, the second a short reason.

Tip: Remember to use 'de' after 'arrêté' and an infinitive verb.

D'abord, je ___, puis je ___.

First I ___, then I ___.

Meaning: First I ___, then I ___.

When to use: Sequence actions in a routine; both blanks take verbs conjugated with 'je'.

J'aime bien ___ avant de ___.

I like to ___ before ___.

Meaning: I like to ___ before ___.

When to use: Describe a preferred habitual action before another activity; after 'avant de' use an infinitive.

J'ai pas beaucoup de temps pour ___.

I don't have much time for ___.

Meaning: I don't have much time for ___.

When to use: Explain that you have little time for something; common spoken form: 'J'ai pas...'.

Je ___ quand je peux.

I ___ whenever I can.

Meaning: I ___ whenever I can.

When to use: Describe an occasional habit depending on opportunity; the verb after 'je' must be conjugated first person.

___, ça fait partie de tes habitudes ?

Is ___ part of your routine?

Meaning: Is ___ part of your routine?

When to use: Ask whether something belongs to someone's routine; the blank can be a noun or an infinitive.