Theme 1.1: Identity and Relationships - Listening Comprehension
Listening comprehension for the Identity and relationships theme tests whether a student can understand spoken French describing people: physical appearance, personality, family and friendships, presented as monologues or short dialogues at both foundation and higher tier, with every item played twice. Examiners are testing the ability to extract specific detail (names, ages, opinions with reasons), to distinguish similar-sounding vocabulary such as family members and personality adjectives, to spot tense changes that show whether a relationship is current or in the past, and to follow negatives and connectives that alter or qualify meaning.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Before the recording starts, read every question and any multiple-choice options fully, underline the key nouns (who, what information is asked) and circle command words such as pourquoi (why) or quand (when).
- Use the title or picture on the page to predict the theme's vocabulary bank ahead of time: family members (mère, beau-père, demi-sœur), personality adjectives (bavard, timide, généreux), and relationship verbs (s'entendre avec, se disputer avec, admirer).
- On the first listening, focus on gist: who is speaking, who they are describing, and whether the tone is positive or negative overall; do not try to write full sentences.
- Listen for the tense of each verb to place events in time: a present-tense verb (il est, elle a) describes now, a perfect-tense verb (j'ai grandi, il est né) reports a completed past event, and an imperfect verb (quand j'étais petit, elle habitait) describes a past state or repeated action - this changes whether an answer should say 'is' or 'was'.
- Catch numbers precisely: ages use avoir + number + ans, so 'il a treize ans' means he is 13, not 'il est treize'; listen carefully for the teens (treize, quatorze) against the tens (trente, quarante), which can sound similar at speed.
- Track negatives that reverse meaning: ne...plus (no longer) after a positive-sounding verb, ne...jamais (never) instead of a frequency word, and ne...rien (nothing) - a missed ne before the verb is the most common reason for lost marks in this theme.
- Note self-corrections: a speaker who says 'il est timide... enfin, plutôt réservé' is replacing the first answer, so record the corrected word (réservé), not the first one.
- Use the second listening to confirm details and fill any gaps left after the first pass, checking that answers match the number of marks available - a two-mark question usually needs two separate pieces of information.
Worked example
You hear a short monologue: 'Je m'appelle Manon. J'ai une grande sœur qui s'appelle Camille ; elle a dix-neuf ans. Avant, on se disputait tout le temps, mais depuis l'année dernière, on s'entend beaucoup mieux.' Question: How has Manon's relationship with her sister changed?
- Predict vocabulary from the theme before listening: sœur, se disputer, s'entendre.
- First listening for gist: two sisters, and the relationship seems to have improved.
- Identify the tense markers: 'on se disputait' is imperfect (avant = before, a repeated past habit); 'on s'entend' is present (depuis l'année dernière = since last year, still true now) - so the change happened in the past and continues into the present.
- Catch the number: 'dix-neuf ans' is 19, not 'neuf ans' (9) - listen to the whole word, not just the first syllable.
- Build the answer from both time markers: previously they argued all the time (imperfect + tout le temps), but since last year they have been getting on much better (present + depuis + the comparative mieux).
- Full answer: They used to argue constantly, but since last year they have been getting on much better.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1What tense is 'je jouais' and what does it usually signal in a listening text?Show answer
Answer: The imperfect tense; it signals a past habitual action or an ongoing/background state ('I used to play' / 'I was playing'), often followed by a contrast with what happens now.
Q2You hear 'il a quinze ans'. What age is being given?Show answer
Answer: 15 (fifteen) - avoir + number + ans gives age, so this means 'he is fifteen years old'.
Q3A speaker says: 'elle est très généreuse... je veux dire, généreuse mais un peu autoritaire aussi.' Which description should you write down?Show answer
Answer: Généreuse mais un peu autoritaire (generous but a little bossy) - 'je veux dire' signals the speaker is adding detail/correcting themselves, so the fuller, corrected description is the one to record.
Q4What is the difference in meaning between 'il ne se dispute plus avec son père' and 'il se dispute avec son père'?Show answer
Answer: Adding ne...plus reverses the meaning to 'he no longer argues with his father', the opposite of 'he argues with his father'.
Q5Before listening to a text titled 'Ma famille recomposée', list three words you would predict hearing.Show answer
Answer: Any three of: beau-père, belle-mère, demi-frère, demi-sœur, se remarier, divorce.
Q6You hear 'on s'entendait bien, mais maintenant on se dispute souvent'. Has the relationship improved or worsened?Show answer
Answer: It has worsened - 'on s'entendait' (imperfect, used to get on) is contrasted with 'mais maintenant on se dispute souvent' (but now they argue often).
Q7Translate the number you hear: 'quatre-vingt-douze'.Show answer
Answer: 92.
Q8A speaker corrects themselves: 'mon frère a vingt ans... non, attends, il a vingt-deux ans.' What age should you record?Show answer
Answer: 22 - 'non, attends' (no, wait) signals a self-correction, so the second, corrected number is the one to use.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Transcript of the recording: Salut, je m'appelle Thomas. Dans ma famille, il y a quatre personnes : mes parents, ma petite sœur et moi. Ma sœur s'appelle Lucie ; elle a onze ans et elle est très bavarde. Moi, je suis plutôt calme et timide, alors on est vraiment différents. Avant, on se disputait souvent parce qu'elle empruntait mes affaires sans demander. Mais depuis quelques mois, elle est devenue plus responsable, donc maintenant on s'entend beaucoup mieux. Le week-end, on aime regarder des films ensemble, ce que j'adore. Questions: 1) How many people are there in Thomas's family? 2) How old is Lucie? 3) Give one personality trait for Lucie and one for Thomas. 4) Why did Thomas and Lucie use to argue? 5) What has changed in the last few months, and what is the result?
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Transcript of the recording: Aujourd'hui, je vais parler de mon meilleur ami, Karim. On se connaît depuis l'école primaire, donc ça fait presque dix ans. Physiquement, il est grand et il a les cheveux bruns... enfin, plutôt châtain foncé. Ce que j'admire chez lui, c'est qu'il n'est jamais égoïste ; il pense toujours aux autres. Par contre, il n'est pas très organisé, ce qui m'énerve parfois. L'année prochaine, on va aller au même lycée, ce qui me rend très content. Questions: 1) How long have the speaker and Karim known each other? 2) Correct the speaker's description of Karim's hair colour. 3) What does the speaker admire about Karim, and why? 4) Give one negative point about Karim. 5) What is going to happen next year, and how does the speaker feel about it?
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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