French course

Lesson 124 of 240

New here? This is lesson 124 of a free 240-lesson French course.

Start hereHow this works

Trip stories in French

Inès is at Café des Tilleuls with a story from last year: a trip home and a lot of walking.

Gaspard listens, then claims the snack was the best part. He cannot name the city.

By the end, you'll say where you went, what was best, what surprised you, and that you'll go back.

Sam's line uses allé. A woman writes allée.

By the end of this lesson

Say where you went, what was best, and what surprised you.

  • Je suis allé à ___ l'année dernière.I went to ___ last year.
  • Le meilleur moment, c'était ___.The best part was ___.
  • J'ai été surpris par la nourriture.I was surprised by the food.
  • On a beaucoup marché.We walked a lot.
  • C'était un des meilleurs voyages de ma vie.It was one of the best trips of my life.
  • J'y retournerai.I'll go back.

Scene — he forgets the city

Late afternoon at Café des Tilleuls. Sam and Inès share a table near the window. The blank brass sign still sits on the empty window table.

Gaspard occupies two chairs at the next table, a croissant beside a café crème he has not finished.

A wide late-afternoon café interior with Sam and Inès sharing a table near the window, an empty neighboring window table, and Gaspard occupying two chairs at the next table beside a croissant and an unfinished café crème.

Learn — where you went

Six lines help you tell a trip story: where you went last year, the best part, a surprise, and a promise to go back.

A woman says allée, not allé.

  1. Sam and Inès sit at the window table, Sam with one hand lifted as he names a trip from last year.

    Je suis allé à ___ l'année dernière.

    I went to ___ last year.

    When to use it: Use this to name a place you visited last year.

    A woman writes allée here, not allé.

    Say it: The s in suis links into allé as a z sound.

  2. Inès leans in at the table with both hands around a cup, as if naming the best part of a trip.

    Le meilleur moment, c'était ___.

    The best part was ___.

    When to use it: Use this to name the best part of a trip.

    Fill the blank with the moment you liked most.

  3. Over Inès’s shoulder, Sam looks down at the plates with his fork paused, caught off guard by the food.

    J'ai été surpris par la nourriture.

    I was surprised by the food.

    When to use it: Say this when the food was not what you expected.

    A woman writes surprise here, not surpris.

    Say it: The last s in surpris is silent.

  4. Inès angles toward the aisle, hands tracing a long walking route in the air with one foot slid forward, while Gaspard occupies two chairs behind her.

    On a beaucoup marché.

    We walked a lot.

    When to use it: Use this when you walked a lot on a trip.

    On here means we, not one person.

  5. Inès sits in profile at the café table, both hands around a cup, turned toward the room as if ranking the trip among the best of her life.

    C'était un des meilleurs voyages de ma vie.

    It was one of the best trips of my life.

    When to use it: Use this for a trip you still count among your best.

    Un des takes a plural word after it.

    Say it: The s in des links into meilleurs as a z sound.

  6. From the sidewalk looking in through the café window, Inès stands at the glass with one hand near the pane, looking out as if she will go back.

    J'y retournerai.

    I'll go back.

    When to use it: Say this when you plan to visit that place again.

    Y stands for the place already named.

    Say it: The apostrophe in J'y marks an elision.

Story — the snack

Inès talks about a trip home last year. Sam shares one of his own. Gaspard gets stuck on the snack.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Inès sits across from Sam. The window table stays empty.
  2. InèsAlors, je rentre de chez moi.So, I'm back from home.
  3. SamC'était comment ?What was it like?
  4. InèsOn a beaucoup marché.We walked a lot.
  5. InèsLe meilleur moment, c'était le marché.The best part was the market.
  6. SamC'était où, ça ?Where was that?
  7. InèsChez moi. J'y retournerai.At home. I'll go back.
  8. Gaspard looks up from the croissant he has not finished.
  9. GaspardLe meilleur moment, c'était le croissant.The best part was the croissant.
  10. InèsC'était un des meilleurs voyages de ma vie.It was one of the best trips of my life.
  11. GaspardC'était à Nantes, ça ?That was in Nantes?
  12. InèsNon, pas Nantes.No, not Nantes.
  13. SamJe suis allé à Marseille l'année dernière.I went to Marseille last year.
  14. SamJ'ai été surpris par la nourriture.I was surprised by the food.
  15. Gaspard nods, then loses the thread. He does not sit at the window table.

Practice — best part

Eleven short exercises wait here. You'll listen, fill a gap, build a line, and pick what to say about a trip.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What does it mean?

    Le meilleur moment, c'était ___.

  3. What do you say?

    A friend asks about your trip. The food was not what you expected.

  4. Fill the gap

    It was one of the best trips of my life.

    C'était un des ____ voyages de ma vie.

  5. Build the line

    We walked a lot.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  6. Swap the word

    You are Sam. Tell them you went to a city last year.

    Je suis ____ à ___ l'année dernière.

  7. Pick the reply

    Inès says:

    Tu y retournes ?

    Are you going back there?

    And you reply with:

  8. Match the pairs

    French

    Le meilleur moment, c'était ___.Drop the English here
    On a beaucoup marché.Drop the English here
    J'y retournerai.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  9. What do you say?

    A friend just mentioned a trip home. Ask what it was like.

  10. What does it mean?

    C'était où, ça ?

  11. Find the mistake

Say it — tell the trip

Now you're Sam at the café, swapping trip stories with Inès. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. InèsC'était comment ?What was it like?
  2. Sam (you)Tell her you walked a lot.

    On a beaucoup marché.

    We walked a lot.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Je suis allé à ___ l'année dernière.I went to ___ last year.
Le meilleur moment, c'était ___.The best part was ___.
J'ai été surpris par la nourriture.I was surprised by the food.
On a beaucoup marché.We walked a lot.
C'était un des meilleurs voyages de ma vie.It was one of the best trips of my life.
J'y retournerai.I'll go back.
Next: lesson 125Plans for later

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want these trip lines on the go? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards keeps last year's trip ready to tell.

Open Yak Cards