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Lesson 123 of 240

New here? This is lesson 123 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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When it happened in French

Karim drops in after the Saturday market and brings up the postcard. He is sure it came true years ago on a hot day.

Odile shrugs. Gaspard remembers the heat, not the year.

By the end, you'll say when something happened, what you did next, and how it went.

Keep the year and the weather in separate lines.

By the end of this lesson

Say when something happened in the past and how it went.

  • La première fois, c'était il y a deux ans.The first time was two years ago.
  • Je ne m'attendais pas à ___.I didn't expect ___.
  • Après ça, j'ai ___.After that, I ___.
  • Je me souviens, il faisait chaud.I remember, it was hot.
  • C'est arrivé l'été dernier.It happened last summer.
  • Ça s'est bien passé.It went well.

Scene — after the market

Saturday on rue des Tilleuls. Karim has parked the cargo bike and come into Café des Tilleuls still in his market apron.

Odile is at the zinc. Gaspard sits at the table next to the window table on two chairs. His café crème is untouched. The blank brass sign is still on the window table.

A wide Saturday-morning view of Café des Tilleuls with Karim just inside the door, Odile at the zinc, and Gaspard on two chairs beside the empty window table.

Learn — when and how it went

Six short lines cover when something first happened, what you did not expect, and what you did after.

You'll also pin last summer, remember the heat, and say it went well.

  1. Karim coming in from the street while Odile pauses at the zinc with a cloth and turns back toward the door.

    La première fois, c'était il y a deux ans.

    The first time was two years ago.

    When to use it: Use this to pin the first time two years back.

    Il y a plus a length of time means that far back from now.

    Say it: The s in ans is silent.

  2. Karim just inside the café, reacting with both palms open as if the memory was not expected.

    Je ne m'attendais pas à ___.

    I didn't expect ___.

    When to use it: Say this when a past event was not what you expected.

    Keep ne and pas around the verb to make it negative.

    Say it: The e of me is dropped in m'attendais.

  3. Sam turned toward Gaspard, who sits on two chairs by the window with one arm raised and a full café crème still untouched.

    Après ça, j'ai ___.

    After that, I ___.

    When to use it: Use this to say what you did next.

    J'ai plus a past form tells what you did after that.

    Say it: J'ai drops the e of je before ai.

  4. Odile turned away from the zinc toward the sunlit window, one hand lifted to the glass as if feeling the warmth.

    Je me souviens, il faisait chaud.

    I remember, it was hot.

    When to use it: Use this when the heat is what you remember.

    Il faisait is the weather in the past, not the present.

    Say it: The final t in faisait is silent.

  5. An over-the-shoulder view past Odile at the zinc toward Karim, who leans on the bar as if a laugh has just passed.

    C'est arrivé l'été dernier.

    It happened last summer.

    When to use it: Use this to place an event last summer.

    L'été dernier is the summer that just passed.

    Say it: The t in C'est links into arrivé.

  6. Gaspard settled on two chairs, looking down at the still-full café crème and staying away from the empty window table.

    Ça s'est bien passé.

    It went well.

    When to use it: Use this to say a past event went well.

    Learn s'est passé as one piece for how it went.

    Say it: Bien has a nasal vowel, not a hard n.

Story — the heat, not the year

Watch Karim at the counter. He pins a year. Gaspard only remembers the heat.

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

  1. Karim leans on the zinc, still in his green market apron. The window table keeps its blank brass sign.
  2. OdileC'était quand, ça ?When was that?
  3. KarimLa première fois, c'était il y a deux ans.The first time was two years ago.
  4. SamQu'est-ce qui s'est passé ?What happened?
  5. KarimLa carte postale. Un client est revenu. Je ne m'attendais pas à ça.The postcard. A customer came back. I didn't expect that.
  6. KarimAprès ça, j'ai ri.After that, I laughed.
  7. Odile shrugs. She does not look at the postcard.
  8. OdileC'était comment ?What was it like?
  9. KarimÇa s'est bien passé.It went well.
  10. Sam looks at Gaspard. The café crème is still full.
  11. SamEt toi ?And you?
  12. GaspardJe me souviens, il faisait chaud.I remember, it was hot.
  13. Odile looks at Sam. She means his first Saturday at the market, not the postcard.
  14. OdileTa première fois au marché, c'était quand ?When was your first time at the market?
  15. SamC'est arrivé l'été dernier.It happened last summer.
  16. Gaspard stays on two chairs. He does not sit at the window table.

Practice — year or summer

Eleven quick exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, swap a word, and put turns in order.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. True or false?

    This asks when something happened in the past.

  3. What do you say?

    You mean the thing happened last summer, not two years ago.

  4. Put the chat in order

    1. KarimWhat comes first?
    2. Sam…
    3. Karim…

    Tap the line that comes next, or drag it into the chat.

  5. What does it mean?

    Je ne m'attendais pas à ___.

  6. Swap the word

    You remember it was hot that day, not cold.

    Je me souviens, il faisait ____.

  7. Put the chat in order

    1. KarimWhat comes first?
    2. Odile…
    3. Karim…

    Tap the line that comes next, or drag it into the chat.

  8. True or false?

    This line says what you did after that.

  9. Match the pairs

    French

    La première fois, c'était il y a deux ans.Drop the English here
    Je ne m'attendais pas à ___.Drop the English here
    C'est arrivé l'été dernier.Drop the English here
    Ça s'est bien passé.Drop the English here

    English

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

  10. What do you say?

    Karim looks shaken at the counter. Ask what happened.

  11. Which one doesn’t belong?

Say it — pin the time

Now you're Sam at the café after the market. 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. OdileC'était quand, ça ?When was that?
  2. Sam (you)Tell her the first time was two years back.

    La première fois, c'était il y a deux ans.

    The first time was two years ago.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
La première fois, c'était il y a deux ans.The first time was two years ago.
Je ne m'attendais pas à ___.I didn't expect ___.
Après ça, j'ai ___.After that, I ___.
Je me souviens, il faisait chaud.I remember, it was hot.
C'est arrivé l'été dernier.It happened last summer.
Ça s'est bien passé.It went well.
Next: lesson 124Trip stories

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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps when and how it went ready.

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