Identity and relationships with others: Translation into French
Translation into French is the skill of producing an accurate, natural French sentence directly from an English prompt about identity and relationships, without relying on a word-for-word mental gloss. In this theme it means choosing the correct register (tu for a friend or family member, vous for a stranger or formal context), forming reflexive verbs such as s'appeler and s'entendre avec correctly, giving family and relationship nouns their correct gender (un beau-père, une demi-soeur), and applying idioms such as avoir + [number] + ans and depuis + present tense.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole English sentence first and decide what the sentence is actually saying before choosing any French words, so you do not translate literally, word by word.
- Decide the register before you write anything: use tu for a friend, sibling or someone your own age, and vous for an adult stranger, a teacher, or when the English prompt gives no clue and asks for formal language.
- Identify the tense and person the English implies (present, perfect with avoir/être, or depuis + present for 'have been -ing'), and choose the matching French tense; do not default to the present tense just because it feels safest.
- Get the gender of family and relationship nouns right first time: un beau-père/une belle-mère (stepfather/stepmother), un demi-frère/une demi-soeur (half-brother/half-sister), un/une camarade (friend/classmate) - the article and any adjective must match this gender.
- Build reflexive verbs correctly: the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) must match the subject and sit immediately before the verb, and in the perfect tense the reflexive verb takes être with agreement (elle s'est bien entendue avec lui).
- Place adjectives correctly: BAGS adjectives (beauty, age, goodness, size, e.g. jeune, grand, petit, gentil, bon) go before the noun; most others follow it, and all agree with the noun's gender and number.
- Once the French sentence is written, read it back in French only, without translating it back into English, and ask whether it sounds like something a French speaker would actually say.
Worked example
Translate into French: My stepmother and I have not got on well since my parents' divorce, but my little half-sister always makes me laugh.
- Register check: this describes family in an informal context, so ordinary conversational French forms apply throughout.
- 'My stepmother' needs the correct feminine noun: ma belle-mère.
- 'have not got on well... since' is depuis + present tense in the negative, because the situation is still ongoing: je ne m'entends pas bien avec elle depuis le divorce de mes parents.
- 'my little half-sister' needs petite before the noun (BAGS: size) and the feminine noun demi-soeur: ma petite demi-soeur.
- 'always makes me laugh' is present tense with the causative faire + infinitive: me fait toujours rire.
- Full translation: Je ne m'entends pas bien avec ma belle-mère depuis le divorce de mes parents, mais ma petite demi-soeur me fait toujours rire.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into French: My name is Amélie and I am fourteen years old.Show answer
Answer: Je m'appelle Amélie et j'ai quatorze ans.
Q2Translate into French: I get on really well with my stepbrother.Show answer
Answer: Je m'entends vraiment bien avec mon demi-frère.
Q3Translate into French: My parents have been separated since 2020.Show answer
Answer: Mes parents sont séparés depuis 2020.
Q4Translate into French: She is a kind and patient teacher.Show answer
Answer: C'est une enseignante gentille et patiente.
Q5Translate into French: We have known each other since primary school.Show answer
Answer: Nous nous connaissons depuis l'école primaire.
Q6Translate into French: My older brother is stubborn but very generous.Show answer
Answer: Mon grand frère est têtu mais très généreux.
Q7Translate into French: I have been arguing with my best friend since last week.Show answer
Answer: Je me dispute avec ma meilleure amie depuis la semaine dernière.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into French: In my family, there are four people. I get on really well with my older sister because she is patient and funny, but I have argued with my father since last month because he is very strict. My mother says that family relationships are important, and I completely agree with her.
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Translate this passage into French: My name is Hugo and I am sixteen years old. I live with my mother and my stepfather, and I get on well with them, but I have never got on well with my older stepbrother because he is selfish. Luckily, I am very close to my grandparents.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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