Identity and relationships with others: Translation (both directions)
Translation is the skill of converting a sentence or short passage between French and English while keeping the meaning, tense and register accurate, without translating word for word. In the identity and relationships theme, this means handling first- and third-person present-tense descriptions of family, physical appearance, personality and relationships, the idiom avoir + [number] + ans for age, depuis + present tense for how long something has been happening, and reflexive verbs such as s'entendre bien avec and se disputer avec.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole sentence (or, in a passage, every sentence) before translating anything, so a detail later in the sentence does not change how you should have translated the start.
- Identify the tense and person of every verb: look for time markers such as depuis (since/for), maintenant, or a simple present-tense statement of fact, and decide whether the verb is present, perfect or imperfect before writing anything.
- Spot the idioms specific to this theme and translate them by meaning, not word for word: avoir + [number] + ans (to be [number] years old), s'appeler (to be called), s'entendre bien/mal avec quelqu'un (to get on well/badly with someone), depuis + present tense (have/has been -ing for/since).
- Plan French word order before writing into French: most descriptive adjectives (nationality, colour, shape) follow the noun, but the short, common BAGS adjectives (beauty, age, goodness, size, e.g. beau, jeune, bon, grand, petit) go in front of the noun.
- Check whether the verb is reflexive (se disputer, s'entendre, s'appeler): a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) must appear immediately before the verb and must match the subject.
- Write a full draft, then check agreements last: adjective endings must match the gender and number of the person or thing they describe (e.g. une soeur généreuse, un frère généreux), and verb endings must match their subject.
- Read the finished sentence back: in French, does it sound like something a French speaker would say; in English, does it sound like natural spoken English rather than a French sentence with English words substituted in.
Worked example
Translate into French: My younger sister is called Léa and we get on really well, but I have argued with my older brother since last year.
- Split the sentence into chunks of meaning: 'My younger sister is called Léa' / 'we get on really well' / 'I have argued with my older brother' / 'since last year'.
- 'is called' is the idiom s'appeler in the present tense, third person singular: ma petite soeur s'appelle Léa.
- 'we get on really well' uses the reflexive s'entendre in the present tense with the intensifier vraiment bien: on s'entend vraiment bien (or nous nous entendons vraiment bien).
- 'I have argued... since last year' is depuis + present tense, not the perfect tense, because the disagreement is still ongoing: je me dispute avec mon grand frère depuis l'année dernière.
- Check agreements: petite agrees with the feminine soeur; grand agrees with the masculine frère (both BAGS adjectives, so they go before the noun).
- Full translation: Ma petite soeur s'appelle Léa et on s'entend vraiment bien, mais je me dispute avec mon grand frère depuis l'année dernière.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into English: Mon meilleur ami s'appelle Karim et il a quinze ans.Show answer
Answer: My best friend is called Karim and he is fifteen years old.
Q2Translate into French: I get on well with my stepmother.Show answer
Answer: Je m'entends bien avec ma belle-mère.
Q3Translate into English: Elle habite avec sa mère depuis le divorce de ses parents.Show answer
Answer: She has been living with her mother since her parents' divorce.
Q4Spot the error and correct it: 'Ma soeur est grand et generous.'Show answer
Answer: Both adjectives fail to agree with the feminine noun soeur; it should read: Ma soeur est grande et généreuse.
Q5Translate into French: My older brother is very stubborn, but he is also very kind.Show answer
Answer: Mon grand frère est très têtu, mais il est aussi très gentil.
Q6Translate into English: Je me dispute souvent avec mon demi-frère parce qu'il est égoïste.Show answer
Answer: I often argue with my stepbrother/half-brother because he is selfish.
Q7Translate into French: We have been close since childhood.Show answer
Answer: Nous sommes proches depuis l'enfance.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Dans ma famille, il y a cinq personnes. Mon père est divorcé et il s'est remarié l'année dernière, donc j'ai maintenant une belle-mère qui s'appelle Sophie. Je m'entends très bien avec elle parce qu'elle est patiente et généreuse. Par contre, je me dispute souvent avec mon frère cadet, qui a douze ans, car il est parfois très égoïste.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
Translate this passage into French: My family is quite big. I get on really well with my older sister, but I have argued with my stepfather since last summer because he is very strict. My mother says that family relationships are important, and I agree with her.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the identity and relationships with others: translation (both directions) worksheet pack - 5 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on identity and relationships with others: translation (both directions), or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.