Traditional Festivals and Celebrations in the French-Speaking World
Traditional festivals and celebrations in the French-speaking world is a translation topic covering present and imperfect tense descriptions of recurring festivals and customs, relative pronouns qui/que/où to build longer descriptive sentences, and the idiom avoir lieu (to take place). Examiners are testing correct use of relative pronouns (qui for the subject, que for the object, où for place or time) and accurate use of the imperfect tense for habitual past customs.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole sentence/passage first, since festival descriptions often combine a general present-tense fact with a specific past memory.
- Identify tense/person: present tense for a festival that still happens every year, imperfect for a repeated childhood memory of a custom, perfect for one specific celebration.
- Translate avoir lieu (to take place/to be held) by meaning: la fête a lieu en juillet (the festival takes place in July).
- Choose the correct relative pronoun: qui replaces the subject of the next clause (la fête qui a lieu chaque année - the festival which takes place every year), que replaces the object (le repas que l'on partage - the meal that we share), où replaces a place or time (le jour où on se retrouve en famille - the day when/on which we get together as a family).
- Note that que shortens to qu' before a vowel, but qui never shortens.
- Write a full draft, then check agreements last (adjective agreement with festival-related nouns, past participle agreement).
- Read the finished sentence back for natural phrasing.
Worked example
Translate into French: The festival that my grandparents used to celebrate every year takes place in a village where everyone gathers to share a traditional meal.
- Chunk the sentence: 'The festival that my grandparents used to celebrate every year' / 'takes place in a village where everyone gathers' / 'to share a traditional meal'.
- 'that my grandparents used to celebrate' needs que (object of célébrer) plus the imperfect tense for the repeated past habit: la fête que mes grands-parents célébraient chaque année.
- 'takes place' is avoir lieu in the present tense, because the festival still happens now: a lieu.
- 'in a village where everyone gathers' needs où for place: dans un village où tout le monde se réunit.
- 'to share a traditional meal' uses the infinitive after a purpose clause: pour partager un repas traditionnel.
- Full translation: La fête que mes grands-parents célébraient chaque année a lieu dans un village où tout le monde se réunit pour partager un repas traditionnel.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into English: Le carnaval qui a lieu chaque année attire des milliers de touristes.Show answer
Answer: The carnival which takes place every year attracts thousands of tourists.
Q2Translate into French: The festival that I prefer takes place in December.Show answer
Answer: La fête que je préfère a lieu en décembre.
Q3Translate into English: Quand j'étais petit, on allumait toujours des feux d'artifice le jour où on fêtait le Nouvel An.Show answer
Answer: When I was little, we always used to let off fireworks on the day when we celebrated New Year.
Q4Spot the error and correct it: 'La fête qu'a lieu en été est ma préférée.'Show answer
Answer: Qui, not que, is needed here because it is the subject of a lieu; it should read: La fête qui a lieu en été est ma préférée.
Q5Translate into French: My family gathers every year to celebrate this tradition.Show answer
Answer: Ma famille se réunit chaque année pour fêter cette tradition.
Q6Translate into English: C'est une coutume que l'on respecte depuis des générations.Show answer
Answer: It is a custom that has been respected for generations.
Q7Translate into French: The village where the festival takes place is very small.Show answer
Answer: Le village où la fête a lieu est très petit.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: En France, il y a de nombreuses fêtes traditionnelles qui ont lieu tout au long de l'année. Quand j'étais enfant, ma famille célébrait toujours la fête de la musique en juin, un jour où tout le monde sortait dans la rue pour écouter des concerts gratuits. C'est une tradition que j'adore et que je continue de célébrer aujourd'hui.
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Translate this passage into French: In my region, there is a festival that takes place every summer and that attracts visitors from all over the country. When I was young, my grandmother used to make a traditional cake that we shared with the whole family. It is a custom that I still respect today, and I hope that my children will celebrate it too.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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