A–B. Listening and Speaking · Listening and Speaking Across la FrancophonieFêtes et traditions : Celebrations, Family Traditions and Teens Across the Francophonie
A2.2 A3.1 B1.4 B2.2 B3.1About 70 minutes
Learning goals- I can understand teens from Vietnam and Burkina Faso talking about a celebration and their hopes and worries.
- I can describe a celebration or family tradition and compare it with one from another French-speaking community.
- I can use object pronouns (le, la, les, lui, leur) in conversation in the present, negative, futur proche and passé composé.
- I can ask and answer questions about family traditions in a conversation.
Words to know
une fête
A celebration, holiday or party (FET). Fêter = to celebrate.
une tradition
A tradition (trah-dee-SYOH(N)). Chez nous, c'est une tradition de...
un festival
A festival (fes-tee-VAHL).
le Nouvel An lunaire
Lunar New Year (noo-vel-AH(N) lü-NAIR). In Vietnam: le Têt (TET).
un cinéaste / une cinéaste
A filmmaker (see-nay-AHST).
rassembler
To bring together (rah-sah(m)-BLAY). La fête rassemble la famille.
espérer / s'inquiéter
To hope (ess-pay-RAY) / to worry (sa(n)-kyay-TAY). J'espère que... / Je m'inquiète pour...
contrairement à / tandis que
Unlike / whereas: words for contrasting.
On fait la fête !
Every community has celebrations that bring people together: a holiday dinner, a festival in the park, a New Year's tradition. Talking about traditions is one of the best ways to learn about other people, and to explain your own.
Today you'll listen to teens from Vietnam and Burkina Faso, learn about three celebrations, and talk about your family traditions, comparing them respectfully with others. You'll also make your speech smoother with object pronouns, which help you avoid repeating the same noun again and again.
Three celebrations
Le FESPACO (fes-pah-KOH): the Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou, held in Ouagadougou (wah-gah-DOO-goo), the capital of Burkina Faso, a West African country where French is widely used. It was first held in 1969 and now takes place every two years. Filmmakers from across Africa and the African diaspora present their films, and the top prize is l'Étalon d'or de Yennenga (the Golden Stallion of Yennenga).
Le Têt (TET): the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, usually in late January or February. Families gather, clean and decorate the house, visit relatives, and children often receive red envelopes with money (lì xì in Vietnamese). Flowering branches are typical decorations: peach blossom in the north and yellow apricot blossom in the south.
Le Festival franco-ontarien in Ottawa: a summer festival of music and francophone culture. And every September 25 is Franco-Ontarian Day, when the green-and-white Franco-Ontarian flag flies at many schools.
Worked exampleLet's listen: Lan and Moussa
A podcast for teens asks: Quelle est ta fête préférée, et qu'est-ce que tu espères pour l'avenir ?
Lan : « Chào ! Je m'appelle Lan, j'ai quinze ans et j'habite à Hô Chi Minh-Ville, au Vietnam. Ma fête préférée, c'est le Têt. Avant le Têt, on nettoie toute la maison. Ma grand-mère prépare le bánh chưng, un gâteau de riz carré. Je l'adore ! Mes oncles nous donnent des enveloppes rouges, et on leur dit « Bonne année ». Plus tard, j'espère devenir médecin. Mais je m'inquiète un peu, parce que les examens sont très difficiles. »
Moussa : « Salut ! Moi, c'est Moussa, j'ai seize ans et j'habite à Ouagadougou, au Burkina Faso. Pour moi, la meilleure fête, c'est le FESPACO. Il y a des films de toute l'Afrique ! L'année dernière, mon père et moi, nous avons vu trois films. Je les ai tous aimés. Mon rêve, c'est de devenir cinéaste. J'espère faire un film sur mon quartier un jour. »
- Avant: purpose = favourite celebration + hopes and worries. Organizer: nom · ville · fête · détails · espoirs · inquiétudes.
- Lan: Ho Chi Minh City · Têt · clean the house, grandmother makes bánh chưng (square rice cake), red envelopes from uncles · hopes to become a doctor · worried about difficult exams.
- Moussa: Ouagadougou · FESPACO · saw three films with his father last year · dream: become a filmmaker, make a film about his neighbourhood.
- Pronouns you heard: Je l'adore (l' = le bánh chưng) · on leur dit « Bonne année » (leur = to my uncles) · Je les ai tous aimés (les = the films).
- Compare with you: Comme Lan, je m'inquiète pour mes examens. · Contrairement à Moussa, je ne suis jamais allé(e) à un festival de films.
Translation: Lan: "Hi! My name is Lan, I'm fifteen and I live in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. My favourite celebration is Tết. Before Tết, we clean the whole house. My grandmother makes bánh chưng, a square rice cake. I love it! My uncles give us red envelopes, and we say 'Happy New Year' to them. Later, I hope to become a doctor. But I'm a bit worried, because the exams are very hard." Moussa: "Hi! I'm Moussa, I'm sixteen and I live in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. For me, the best celebration is FESPACO. There are films from all over Africa! Last year, my dad and I saw three films. I liked them all. My dream is to become a filmmaker. I hope to make a film about my neighbourhood one day."
Object pronouns: say it once, then use a pronoun
In conversation, French speakers rarely repeat a noun. They replace it with a pronoun:
Direct object (answers what? or whom?, no à):
- le (masculine) · la (feminine) · l' (before a vowel) · les (plural)
- Tu fêtes le Têt ? Oui, je le fête. · Tu invites tes cousins ? Oui, je les invite.
Indirect object (a person after à):
- lui (to him / to her) · leur (to them)
- Tu donnes un cadeau à ta mère ? Oui, je lui donne un cadeau. · On dit « Bonne année » à nos oncles → On leur dit « Bonne année ».
(me, te, nous, vous work for both: Ils nous invitent. · Elle me donne une enveloppe.)
Where does it go? Right before the verb it belongs to:
Passé composé: a silent agreement
When a direct object pronoun comes before avoir, the past participle agrees with it in writing: Les films ? Je les ai aimés. · La fête ? Je l'ai fêtée. You usually can't hear this agreement in speech (aimés sounds like aimé), so in speaking, focus on putting the pronoun in the right place. (You can hear it with some participles: La lettre ? Je l'ai écrite (ay-KREET).)
Comparing respectfully
- Comme chez nous, ... (Like at our place...) · C'est pareil chez moi. (It's the same at my house.)
- Contrairement à Lan, je... (Unlike Lan, I...)
- Chez Lan, on mange..., tandis que chez nous, on mange... (whereas)
- Ça ressemble à... (It's similar to...) · C'est différent de...
Respect tip: describe differences with curiosity, not judgment. Say C'est différent de chez moi or C'est intéressant !, never C'est bizarre. Remember that people in the same country (or the same family!) can celebrate in different ways.
Worked exampleLet's talk about a family tradition
Ana's family is from Ontario and Portugal. Answer her friend's questions using pronouns: (a) Tu fêtes Noël ? (b) Tu vois tes grands-parents ce jour-là ? (c) Tu donnes des cadeaux à ta sœur ? (d) Tu as aimé la fête l'an dernier ?
- (a) Noël (masculine, direct): Oui, je le fête avec ma famille.
- (b) tes grands-parents (plural, direct): Oui, je les vois toujours. On va les voir chez eux. (futur proche: before the infinitive)
- (c) à ta sœur (a person after à, indirect): Oui, je lui donne un cadeau. Negative: Non, je ne lui donne pas de cadeau.
- (d) la fête (feminine, direct, passé composé): Oui, je l'ai beaucoup aimée ! (agreement -e in writing)
- Add a comparison: Comme Lan, on mange un plat spécial : chez nous, c'est la morue. (cod)
Oui, je le fête avec ma famille. Je vois mes grands-parents : on va les voir chez eux. Je lui donne un cadeau. Et oui, je l'ai beaucoup aimée ! Comme Lan, on mange un plat spécial : chez nous, c'est la morue.
Just for funOn April 1 in France, Belgium and Québec, kids try to stick a paper fish on someone's back without them noticing, then shout Poisson d'avril ! (April fish!). If you find a paper fish on your back today, now you know who to blame: la francophonie.
Hands-on activityL'entrevue des traditions (The traditions interview)
You need: a family member or friend to interview, paper and pencil, a phone to record (optional).
- Prepare 6 questions in French (your interviewee can answer in English if needed): Quelle fête est importante pour notre famille ? Comment est-ce qu'on la fête ? Qu'est-ce qu'on mange ? Qui est-ce qu'on invite ? Est-ce qu'on donne des cadeaux ? À qui ? Quel est ton meilleur souvenir de cette fête ?
- Interview them and take key-word notes.
- Prepare a 1-minute talk about this tradition. Use at least 4 object pronouns (on la fête, on les invite, on leur donne...) and 2 comparisons with the Têt, the FESPACO or a tradition from a classmate (Comme au Têt, ... / Contrairement au FESPACO, ...).
- Present it to someone. They ask one follow-up question; answer in French.
What to look for: pronouns before the right verb, lui/leur for people after à, and respectful comparisons. Every family's traditions count, including small everyday ones (Sunday pancakes count!).
Your turn
1Replace with a pronoun: Je regarde le film.
2Replace with a pronoun: Je parle à mes cousins.
Je leur parle. (a person after à, plural → leur)
3Make it negative: Je la fête.
4Futur proche: Je vais inviter mes amis. (use a pronoun)
Je vais les inviter. (before the infinitive)
5What is the FESPACO, and where is it held?
A pan-African film and television festival, held every two years in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
6Name two Têt traditions mentioned in the lesson.
Any two: cleaning the house, family visits, red envelopes with money, flowering branches (peach/apricot blossom), special food like bánh chưng.
7What does Lan hope for, and what worries her?
She hopes to become a doctor; she's worried because the exams are very hard.
More practice: warm-up
2When is Franco-Ontarian Day?
3Which pronoun replaces à mon frère?
4What does tandis que mean?
5What does Moussa want to become?
More practice: on your own
1Passé composé with a pronoun: J'ai vu les films.
Je les ai vus. Pronoun before ai; vus agrees with les (masculine plural) in writing.
2lui or le? (a) Je ___ téléphone (à Moussa). (b) Je ___ vois (Moussa).
(a) lui (téléphoner à quelqu'un: indirect). (b) le (voir quelqu'un: direct).
3Correct: Je vais le pas fêter.
Je ne vais pas le fêter. Ne... pas goes around vais; the pronoun stays before the infinitive.
4Compare your family's New Year with the Têt in one sentence using tandis que.
Sample: Au Têt, les enfants reçoivent des enveloppes rouges, tandis que chez nous, on regarde les feux d'artifice à minuit.
5Why should you avoid C'est bizarre ! when someone describes a tradition?
It judges the tradition as strange. Saying C'est différent de chez moi or C'est intéressant ! shows curiosity and respect.
Challenge
1Answer with two pronouns' worth of information: Tu as donné les enveloppes à tes cousins ? (Yes.) Use a pronoun for à tes cousins.
Oui, je leur ai donné les enveloppes. (Using both pronouns at once, je les leur ai données, is correct too, and you'll practise combining pronouns in later grades.)
2Compare the hopes and worries of Lan and Moussa with your own (3 sentences, with comme and contrairement à).
Sample: Comme Lan, je m'inquiète pour mes examens. Contrairement à Moussa, je ne veux pas devenir cinéaste ; j'espère devenir ingénieure. Mais comme lui, j'aimerais faire quelque chose pour mon quartier.
3Explain to a classmate (in English) why the Francophonie celebrates many different holidays is a better statement than French-speaking people celebrate the same holidays.
French-speaking communities are spread over many countries and cultures, with different religions, histories and traditions (e.g. FESPACO in Burkina Faso, Têt in Vietnam, Franco-Ontarian Day in Ontario). Sharing a language doesn't mean sharing every custom.
Quiz
1. Tu regardes la télé ? — Oui, je ___ regarde.
2. Tu parles à tes parents ? — Oui, je ___ parle.
3. Which sentence is correct?
5. Which is a respectful comparison?
6. La fête ? Je l'ai beaucoup ___ .
Big idea: Students learn about celebrations in French-speaking communities in Africa and Asia and compare them with their own (A3.1, B3.1), talk about family traditions (B2.2), understand teens' hopes and worries (A2.2), and use object pronouns in speech (B1.4).
How to help: Be the interviewee! Share a family tradition, however small. If your family has roots elsewhere, this is a chance to pass on stories; if your family's traditions are Canadian, they are just as interesting.
Common difficulties:
- Le/la/les vs lui/leur: ask "Is there an à before the person?" If yes → lui/leur.
- Pronoun placement in the futur proche (je vais les voir) and negative (je ne les vois pas).
- Overgeneralizing about cultures: encourage phrases like dans la famille de Lan rather than au Vietnam, tout le monde....
Accuracy note: The facts here (FESPACO's location, frequency and first year; Têt customs; Franco-Ontarian Day on September 25) were chosen because they are well documented.