C'est incroyable !
That's amazing!
Ils ont acheté une maison au bord de la mer. C'est incroyable !
They bought a house by the sea. That's amazing!
Tu as fini le marathon ? C'est incroyable !
You finished the marathon? That's amazing!
French - Surprise
Lesson 79 of 159
Goal: Quick reactions for surprising news
Free French lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.
Ready for a friendly surprise practice? This short lesson helps you react naturally when something unexpected happens. Have fun — little shocks make great conversation starters!
Level A2: In Lesson 79 you'll practice four natural French reactions to surprise and disbelief: C'est incroyable !, Attends, quoi ?, ___ a fait quoi ?, and Sérieux ? These phrases help you show amazement, ask for clarification, and react to someone’s actions in everyday conversations. This CEFR-aligned mini-lesson mixes listening, short quizzes, and speaking prompts so you can jump right into real chats.
After this lesson you'll be able to:
- Recognize and use four common surprise reactions in everyday speech.
- Ask for clarification and react to someone’s action using the frame ___ a fait quoi ?
- Practice listening and speaking A2-level social phrases naturally.
Ready? Let's go!
When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.
1. Reading + Listening Practice
Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.
Attends, quoi ?
Wait, what?
Attends, quoi ? Tu quittes la ville demain ?
Wait, what? You're leaving town tomorrow?
Attends, quoi ? Ils vendent la boutique ?
Wait, what? They're selling the shop?
___ a fait quoi ?
___ did what?
Marc a fait quoi ? Il a vraiment dit ça ?
Marc did what? He really said that?
Elle a fait quoi ? Elle a quitté la réunion sans prévenir ?
She did what? She left the meeting without telling anyone?
Sérieux ?
Seriously?
Tu vas déménager en Australie ? Sérieux ?
You're moving to Australia? Seriously?
Il a tout vendu avant la fin du mois ? Sérieux ?
He sold everything before the end of the month? Seriously?
2. Conversational Listening Practice
Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.
Anna tells David surprising news about a friend.
Who did something surprising in the conversation?
Anna
Tu sais quoi ? Paul a donné sa voiture à un inconnu.
Guess what? Paul gave his car to a stranger.
David
Attends, quoi ? Il a fait ça sans raison ?
Wait, what? He did that for no reason?
Anna
Oui, et il a dit qu'il voulait aider quelqu'un.
Yes, and he said he wanted to help someone.
David
Paul a fait quoi ? Sérieux ?
Paul did what? Seriously?
Anna
C'est incroyable !
That's amazing!
David
Sérieux ? Je n'arrive pas à y croire.
Seriously? I can't believe it.
3. Guided Practice
Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.
Which French phrase means "That's amazing!"
When you need someone to repeat surprising information informally, which do you say?
Which phrase is best to express mild disbelief (like 'Seriously?')
Which frame asks specifically about who did something (fill with a name)?
They won the lottery. — That's amazing!
Ils ont gagné à la loterie. — ___
I was told: 'He left the group yesterday.' — Wait, what?
On m'a dit : « Il a quitté le groupe hier. » — ___
Someone said: 'Sophie broke the vase.' — Sophie did what?
Quelqu'un a dit : « Sophie a cassé le vase. » — ___
Match the core phrases
Match the extra phrases
4. Speaking Practice
Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).
Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.
Say this phrase out loud:
C'est incroyable !
That's amazing!
Say this phrase out loud:
Attends, quoi ?
Wait, what?
Say this phrase out loud:
___ a fait quoi ?
___ did what?
Say this phrase out loud:
Sérieux ?
Seriously?