an essay on myself in french

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World Languages

How to Describe Yourself in French

Last Updated: September 9, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Language Academia . Language Academia is a private, online language school founded by Kordilia Foxstone. Kordilia and her team specialize in teaching foreign languages and accent reduction. Language Academia offers courses in several languages, including English, Spanish, and Mandarin. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 438,661 times.

Describing yourself is an important skill personally and professionally. You may wish to meet or date someone, get to know a friend better, or present yourself in a professional context. The rules for describing yourself in French are similar to how you would do it in English, but there are a few distinctions to be aware of. Using these guidelines you will have a basic structure that you can expand on to provide a more personalized description of yourself.

Describing your Personality

The French word for first name is “prenom” (prey–nom). You could say “Mon prénom est...” (mon prey-nom ey) which means “my first name is...”
The French word for surname is “nom de famille” (nohm dhe fah-mee). In a professional or commercial transaction if someone asks for your "nom" be sure to provide your last name rather than your first.

Consult a dictionary to find pronunciations of specific numbers.
You can also describe your age group more generally using the phrase “je suis” (zhe swee) followed by an adjective. “Jeune” (zhuhn) means young. “Vieux” (vee-euh) indicates an elderly man, while “vieille” (vee-ay) indicates an elderly woman. “Je suis jeune” means “I am young.”

You can also say “my hair is...” followed by a color. The phrase for this is “Mes cheveux sont...” (meh chuh-vuh son). Consult a dictionary for the appropriate color.
The same construction works to describe your eye color. You would say “Mes yeux sont ...” (mehz-yuh son) which means "my eyes are..." Note that in this case you pronounce the s at the end of “mes” because the next word begins with a vowel.

“Fort” (for) means strong, while “faible” (febl) means weak.
“Petit” (petee) for men or “petite” (peteet) for women means small or short.
“Grand” (grahn) for men or “grande” (grahnd) for women means large or tall.

Content (cohn-tahn) means happy, while triste (treest) means sad. You would say "je suis triste" to convey "I am sad."
Fatigué (fah-tee-gay) means tired. You would say “je suis fatigué” to convey "I am tired."

Describing Your Activities

Male occupations that end with “eur” (euhr) often change to “euse” (euhz) for women. For example, a massage therapist would be either a masseur or a masseuse.
Male occupations that end in “ier” (ee-ay) often add an extra e to become ière (ee-ehr) for women. A farmer would be either a fermier or a fermière.
Male occupations that end in a consonant may add an extra e to become feminine. For example, a male student is an “étudiant” (ay-tood-eeon) while a female student is an "étudiante" (ay-tood-eeont). Note that the final consonant is pronounced only in the female form.
Many occupations have only one form, regardless of gender, such as "professeur" which means teacher.

“I like” is “j’aime” (zhehm). "I love" is “j’adore” (zha-dor). “J’aime lire” (zhehm leer) means “I like to read.”
The words “ne” and “pas” on either side of the verb negate the phrase, indicating dislike. "I do not like" is “je n’aime pas” (zhe nem pah). “Je n’aime pas chanter” (zhe nem pas chan-tay) means “I do not like to sing.”

Mon (mohn) or ma (mah) are used as possessives, when you wish to indicate that you like something that belongs to you. Mes (meh) indicates a possessive plural. [5] X Research source
Mon is used when the noun is masculine, indicated in the dictionary by the letter m. “J’aime mon chat” means "I like my cat." Note that it does not matter if you are male, it matters that cat (chat) is a masculine noun.
Ma is used when the noun is feminine, indicated in the dictionary by the letter f. “J’aime ma tante” means "I like my aunt." Again, it matters that aunt is a feminine noun, not that you are a man or a woman.
Mes indicates a possessive plural noun, such as “my aunts” or “my cats.” You would say “j’aime mes tantes” or “j’aime mes chats.” [6] X Research source

If this is too challenging it may be easier to use the above recommendations for sharing hobbies, simply saying “I like sports” or “j’aime les sports.”
This construction also works to describe personality traits. For example gentil/gentille (zhantee/zhanteel) means nice. You would say “je suis gentil” if you are a man or "je suis gentille" for a woman.

Printable Phrase Guides

Community Q&A

↑ https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/french.php
↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjx947h/articles/z7ftwty
↑ https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/frenchcopy/chapter/2-4-the-verb-etre/
↑ http://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/gender/
↑ http://www.thefrenchexperiment.com/learn-french/possessive-adjectives.php
↑ https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/possessive-adjectives/
↑ http://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/adjectives/

About This Article

To describe yourself in French, start by learning some of the basic French phrases for introducing yourself, like “Je m’appelle” and “Je suis” to tell people your name and something about yourself. For example, “Je suis blonde” tells people that you’re a blonde, while “Je suis fatigué” means “I’m tired!” To talk about your interests, use the word “J’aime” to say that you love or like something! Scroll down to learn how to use the appropriate adjectives for your gender! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away as a Foreigner

Have something to say?

When it comes to expressing your thoughts in French , there’s nothing better than the essay.

It is, after all, the favorite form of such famed French thinkers as Montaigne, Chateaubriand, Houellebecq and Simone de Beauvoir.

In this post, I’ve outlined the four most common types of essays in French, ranked from easiest to most difficult, to help you get to know this concept better.

Why Are French Essays Different?

Must-have french phrases for writing essays, 4 types of french essays and how to write them, 1. text summary (synthèse de texte).

2. Text Commentary (Commentaire de texte)

3. Dialectic Dissertation (Thèse, Antithèse, Synthèse)

4. Progressive Dissertation (Plan progressif)

And one more thing...

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Writing an essay in French is not the same as those typical 5-paragraph essays you’ve probably written in English.

In fact, there’s a whole other logic that has to be used to ensure that your essay meets French format standards and structure. It’s not merely writing your ideas in another language .

And that’s because the French use Cartesian logic (also known as Cartesian doubt) , developed by René Descartes , which requires a writer to begin with what is known and then lead the reader through to the logical conclusion: a paragraph that contains the thesis. Through the essay, the writer will reject all that is not certain or all that is subjective in his or her quest to find the objective truth.

Sound intriguing? Read on for more!

Before we get to the four main types of essays, here are a few French phrases that will be especially helpful as you delve into essay-writing in French:

Introductory phrases , which help you present new ideas.

Connecting phrases , which help you connect ideas and sections.

Contrasting phrases , which help you juxtapose two ideas.

Concluding phrases , which help you to introduce your conclusion.

The text summary or synthèse de texte is one of the easiest French writing exercises to get a handle on. It essentially involves reading a text and then summarizing it in an established number of words, while repeating no phrases that are in the original text. No analysis is called for.

A synthèse de texte should follow the same format as the text that is being synthesized. The arguments should be presented in the same way, and no major element of the original text should be left out of the synthèse.

Here is an informative post about writing a synthèse de texte , written for French speakers.

The text summary is a great exercise for exploring the following French language elements:

Synonyms , as you will need to find other words to describe what is said in the original text.
Nominalization , which involves turning verbs into nouns and generally cuts down on word count.
Vocabulary , as the knowledge of more exact terms will allow you to avoid periphrases and cut down on word count.

While beginners may wish to work with only one text, advanced learners can synthesize as many as three texts in one text summary.

Since a text summary is simple in its essence, it’s a great writing exercise that can accompany you through your entire learning process.

2. Text Commentary (Commentaire de texte)

A text commentary or commentaire de texte is the first writing exercise where the student is asked to present an analysis of the materials at hand, not just a summary.

That said, a commentaire de texte is not a reaction piece. It involves a very delicate balance of summary and opinion, the latter of which must be presented as impersonally as possible. This can be done either by using the third person (on) or the general first person plural (nous) . The singular first person (je) should never be used in a commentaire de texte.

A commentaire de texte should be written in three parts:

An introduction , where the text is presented.
An argument , where the text is analyzed.
A conclusion , where the analysis is summarized and elevated.

Here is a handy in-depth guide to writing a successful commentaire de texte, written for French speakers.

Unlike with the synthesis, you will not be able to address all elements of a text in a commentary. You should not summarize the text in a commentary, at least not for the sake of summarizing. Every element of the text that you speak about in your commentary must be analyzed.

To successfully analyze a text, you will need to brush up on your figurative language. Here are some great resources to get you started:

Here’s an introduction to figurative language in French.
This guide to figurative language presents the different elements in useful categories.
This guide , intended for high school students preparing for the BAC—the exam all French high school students take, which they’re required to pass to go to university—is great for seeing examples of how to integrate figurative language into your commentaries.
Speaking of which, here’s an example of a corrected commentary from the BAC, which will help you not only include figurative language but get a head start on writing your own commentaries.

The French answer to the 5-paragraph essay is known as the dissertation . Like the American 5-paragraph essay, it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. The stream of logic, however, is distinct.

There are actually two kinds of dissertation, each of which has its own rules.

The first form of dissertation is the dialectic dissertation , better known as thèse, antithèse, synthèse . In this form, there are actually only two body paragraphs. After the introduction, a thesis is posited. Following the thesis, its opposite, the antithesis, is explored (and hopefully, debunked). The final paragraph, what we know as the conclusion, is the synthesis , which addresses the strengths of the thesis, the strengths and weaknesses of the antithesis, and concludes with the reasons why the original thesis is correct.

For example, imagine that the question was, “Are computers useful to the development of the human brain?” You could begin with a section showing the ways in which computers are useful for the progression of our common intelligence—doing long calculations, creating in-depth models, etc.

Then you would delve into the problems that computers pose to human intelligence, citing examples of the ways in which spelling proficiency has decreased since the invention of spell check, for example. Finally, you would synthesize this information and conclude that the “pro” outweighs the “con.”

The key to success with this format is developing an outline before writing. The thesis must be established, with examples, and the antithesis must be supported as well. When all of the information has been organized in the outline, the writing can begin, supported by the tools you have learned from your mastery of the synthesis and commentary.

Here are a few tools to help you get writing:

Here’s a great guide to writing a dialectic dissertation .
Here’s an example of a plan for a dialectic dissertation , showing you the three parts of the essay as well as things to consider when writing a dialectic dissertation.

4. Progressive Dissertation ( Plan progressif)

The progressive dissertation is slightly less common, but no less useful, than the first form.

The progressive form basically consists of examining an idea via multiple points of view—a sort of deepening of the understanding of the notion, starting with a superficial perspective and ending with a deep and profound analysis.

If the dialectic dissertation is like a scale, weighing pros and cons of an idea, the progressive dissertation is like peeling an onion, uncovering more and more layers as you get to the deeper crux of the idea.

Concretely, this means that you will generally follow this layout:

A first, elementary exploration of the idea.
A second, more philosophical exploration of the idea.
A third, more transcendent exploration of the idea.

This format for the dissertation is more commonly used for essays that are written in response to a philosophical question, for example, “What is a person?” or “What is justice?”

Let’s say the question was, “What is war?” In the first part, you would explore dictionary definitions—a basic idea of war, i.e. an armed conflict between two parties, usually nations. You could give examples that back up this definition, and you could narrow down the definition of the subject as much as needed. For example, you might want to make mention that not all conflicts are wars, or you might want to explore whether the “War on Terror” is a war.

In the second part, you would explore a more philosophical look at the topic, using a definition that you provide. You first explain how you plan to analyze the subject, and then you do so. In French, this is known as poser une problématique (establishing a thesis question), and it usually is done by first writing out a question and then exploring it using examples: “Is war a reflection of the base predilection of humans for violence?”

In the third part, you will take a step back and explore this question from a distance, taking the time to construct a natural conclusion and answer for the question.

This form may not be as useful in as many cases as the first type of essay, but it’s a good form to learn, particularly for those interested in philosophy. Here’s an in-depth guide to writing a progressive dissertation.

As you progress in French and become more and more comfortable with writing, try your hand at each of these types of writing exercises, and even with other forms of the dissertation . You’ll soon be a pro at everything from a synthèse de texte to a dissertation!

FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.

For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:

Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."

All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Talking about yourself in French 🇫🇷

Talking about yourself in French is one of the first you’ll have to do.

Especially if you’re looking for a penpal, want to go a bit deeper with natives in France, or just simply journal about yourself in French.

Bref, you need to be able to introduce yourself, express who you are, your opinions, where you come from,…

And that’s exactly what we are going to learn right now with 5 ready to use sentences.

Don’t worry, I’m not asking you for an essay about yourself… The key word here is PRACTICAL.

5 sentences to talk about yourself in French

Ok so we are going to learn how to describe yourself (your tastes, your goals,…).

Keep in mind, the sentences below are made to be easily customisable.

In the video, I go in more details about how to customise them (what verb to use, what forms, in what order,..). AND, I gave you examples.

Ok, c’est parti.

Je suis passionné(e – for girls ) de… (+ noun ) – I am passionate about…
J’adore… (+ verb ) – I like to…
Je veux… (+ verb ) – I want to…
Mon ( film ) préféré(e – if feminine ), c’est… – My favourite ( movie ) is…
Je suis fan de… – I am a fan of…

Now, it’s your time to use it. Leave me a comment with a sentence about you!

Please use the video to learn how to pronounce the sentences correctly.

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French people speak so fast. You don’t manage to listen well enough and then, you’re lost. How do you listen to French well enough to understand it??

8 French beauty YouTubers 💄 to improve your looks and your French

Want to improve your French and yours looks? Here are 8 of the best French Beauty YouTubers.

10 ways to say I am fine in French 👍 + VIDEO

There is a million ways to say I am fine in French. But maybe 10 is a good place to start… (audio included)

3 thoughts on “Talking about yourself in French 🇫🇷”

What about age ,state,nationalism,etc?

How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away as a Foreigner

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-quote-on-a-paper-5425603/

Bienvenue! Do you dream of unleashing your inner French literary genius, but worry that your writing might inadvertently reveal your foreign roots? Fret not, mes amis, as we have the ultimate guide to help you master the art of essay writing en Français!

Within these pages, we’ll navigate the intricate waters of linguistic nuances, cultural subtleties, and grammatical finesse, allowing you to exude the aura of a native French speaker effortlessly. Many students like you have embarked on this journey, seeking academic assistance from platforms like https://paperwritten.com/ to conquer their writing pursuits.

From crafting a compelling introduction to fashioning impeccable conclusions, we’ll unveil the secrets that will leave your professors applauding your newfound linguistic prowess. So, bid adieu to those awkward linguistic giveaways and embrace the sheer elegance of French expression – all while keeping your foreign identity beautifully concealed! Let’s embark on this adventure together and unlock the true essence of writing like a native French virtuoso.

1. Mastering French Grammar and Vocabulary: Building a Strong Foundation

To create a compelling French essay, it’s essential to lay a solid groundwork. Ensure that your French grammar is accurate and that you possess a rich vocabulary. Avoid relying on online translators, as they may yield awkward or incorrect sentences. Instead, embrace reputable dictionaries and language resources to enhance your language skills effectively.

2. Mimic Sentence Structures: The Art of Authentic Expression

To truly immerse yourself in the French language, observe and mimic the sentence structures used by native speakers. Analyzing essays written by experienced writers can prove invaluable in grasping the authentic style required to compose a captivating essay.

3. Use Transition Words: Crafting a Smooth Flow of Ideas

In French essays, the use of transition words and phrases plays a pivotal role in connecting ideas seamlessly. Incorporate expressions like “de plus,” “en outre,” “en conclusion,” “tout d’abord,” and “par conséquent” to add coherence and elegance to your writing.

4. Embrace French Idioms and Expressions: Unveiling Cultural Fluency

Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the French language and culture by incorporating idioms and expressions where appropriate. However, remember to use them sparingly to avoid overwhelming your essay.

5. Pay Attention to Formality: Striking the Right Tone

Tailor the formality of your writing to suit the context of your essay. Whether you are crafting an academic piece or a more personal creation, be mindful of your choice of vocabulary and sentence structures to match the required tone.

6. Research Cultural References: The Power of In-depth Knowledge

If your essay touches upon French culture, history, or literature, extensive research is key. Delve into your subjects to avoid mistakes and showcase your genuine interest in the matter at hand.

7. Avoid Direct Translations: Let French Be French

To avoid awkward phrasing, strive to think in French rather than translating directly from your native language. This will lead to a more natural and eloquent essay.

8. Practice Writing Regularly: The Path to Proficiency

Mastering the art of French writing requires regular practice. Embrace writing in French frequently to grow more comfortable with the language and refine your unique writing style.

9. Read French Literature: A Gateway to Inspiration

Explore the world of French literature to expose yourself to diverse writing styles. This practice will deepen your understanding of the language and immerse you further in French culture and history.

10. Connect with French Culture: Bridges of Cultural Resonance

Incorporate cultural references that resonate with French readers, such as art, cuisine, festivals, historical figures, or social customs. Authenticity is key, so avoid relying on stereotypes.

11. Use a French Thesaurus: Expanding Your Linguistic Palette

Discovering new contextually appropriate words can elevate your writing. Embrace a French thesaurus to find synonyms that may not be apparent through direct translations.

12. Master French Punctuation: The Finishing Touch

Take care to use correct French punctuation marks, such as guillemets (« ») for quotes and proper accent marks. These subtle details add a professional touch to your essay.

13. Practice French Rhetorical Devices: Crafting Eloquent Prose

Experiment with rhetorical devices like parallelism, repetition, and antithesis to lend depth and sophistication to your writing.

14. Pay Attention to Word Order: Unlocking French Sentence Structure

French boasts a unique sentence structure distinct from English. Dive into the intricacies of subject-verb-object order and grasp the art of organizing sentences to sidestep common foreign mistakes. Embracing this essential aspect will elevate your writing to a truly native level.

15. Use French Idiomatic Expressions: Infuse Cultural Flair

Enrich your prose with the colorful tapestry of French idioms, reflecting the vibrant essence of the culture. Yet, a word of caution – wield them with finesse, for the strategic placement of an idiom can imbue your essay with unparalleled flair and authenticity.

16. Master Pronouns and Agreement: The Dance of Language

The dance of pronouns, nouns, and adjectives requires your keen attention. Like a skilled performer, ensure their seamless alignment to avoid inadvertently revealing your non-native status. Mastering this harmony is key to writing like a true Francophone.

17. Understand Subtle Connotations: Unveiling Linguistic Shades

Delve into the labyrinth of French words, where subtle connotations diverge from their English counterparts. Familiarize yourself with these delicate nuances, for it is in their mastery that your writing shall find refinement.

18. Study Formal and Informal Registers: Tailoring Language to Purpose

Akin to selecting the perfect outfit for each occasion, comprehend the art of using formal and informal language. Consider your essay’s purpose and audience, and with this knowledge, enhance your authenticity, seamlessly aligning with the appropriate linguistic register.

19. Practice Dialogue Writing: Conversing with Eloquence

Embark on the journey of dialogue writing to enrich your linguistic repertoire. As you hone your conversational skills, watch as authenticity gracefully weaves itself into your written work, enchanting readers with its charm.

20. Seek Feedback: A Second Set of Eyes

To refine your essay further, seek the guidance of a native French speaker or language tutor from the best cheap essay writing services . Their valuable feedback can uncover any language or cultural mistakes you may have made, allowing you to make necessary improvements.

Equip yourself with these priceless tips and set forth on your quest to master the art of French writing. Embrace the language’s allure, immerse in its rich culture, and watch your words flow with grace and poise. À la plume! Let the pen become your ally in crafting captivating prose that echoes with authenticity and charm.

Header Photo Credit by George Milton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-woman-in-eyeglasses-with-books-7034478/

About the Author

Adrian Lomezzo is a content writer and likes to write about technology and education. He understands the concern of parents due to the evolving technology and researches deeply in that area. When he is not researching, he buries himself in books along with his favorite cup of hot chocolate.

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How to talk about yourself in French

Talking about yourself in French can be fun if you're hanging out with French speaking friends, students or co-workers.

The situations of life in which you need to present yourself are countless : school, job interviews, professional meetings, administrative stuff, social encounters, dating ...

Introducing yourself in French, that is, saying out your name, age, home country, occupation etc, is not so different than in your native language.

Where things start to differ from culture to culture, is what you actually choose to say about yourself as a French speaker. And of course the way you choose to say it.

For example, French people often find it unpleasant when a person is talking about him/herself in a self-confident way, which they often consider as bragging. E.g, talking openly about your qualities or achievements.

In this article, we hear Fred, a French guy, talking about himself, perhaps recording a quick presentation video for a social website. After hearing the presentation, we comment the spoken French phrases and expressions he's using.

Here's Fred's presentation :

Salut, moi c'est Fred, j'ai 36 ans, je suis de Toulouse, diplômé d'une école de commerce. Je suis commercial chez un concessionnaire auto. Je suis du genre extraverti, sociable, j'adore les contacts. Mon trip à moi, c'est de sortir, m'amuser, mater le foot avec les potes, délirer avec les filles... Je suis quelqu'un de cool, je n'aime pas me prendre la tête. Je laisse couler ! Je suis célibataire. j'ai été avec quelqu'un pendant deux ans, mais ça n'a pas marché. Je ne supportais plus ses reproches, pourquoi tu fais ci, pourquoi tu fais pas ça ... Sur mon lieu de travail, je vois souvent passer de jolis petits lots... Et sur Facebook aussi. Mon job, c'est pas ma vie. Je fais mon boulot, je ne cherche pas midi à 14h. Mon chef est du genre chicaneur, alors que moi je suis plutôt zen. Je n'aime pas trop les objectifs, les évaluations, et les patrons prise de tête. Je ne suis pas non plus très fan des clients qui posent des tonnes de questions !

Listen to the audio :

And here's the English version :

Hey, Fred here, 36, from Toulouse, business school graduate. I work as a salesman at a car dealership. I'm the extraverted type, social guy, I love contacts. I get kicks from going out, having fun, watching soccer with my boys, hanging out with the girls... I'm a mellow person, don't like to complicate things. I just let things roll. I'm single. I was involved with someone for two years, but it didn't work out. Could no longer stand her complaints, why are you doing this, why don't you do that ... In my workplace I see some hot little numbers go by ... And on Facebook as well. My job is not my life. I do my work, I try not to complicate things too much. My boss is kind of a nitpicker, whereas I'm more of an easy-going person. I'm not crazy about sales quotas, evaluations, and picky managers. Nor am I a big fan of customers who ask tons of questions !

Talking about yourself in French : identity and basic information

Fred starts his talk by introducing himself : his name, his age, his home town, his education.

For his name, he uses the phrase :

"Salut, moi c'est Fred"

This is a colloquial way in French to introduce oneself, a bit like saying "Hey, Fred here !" When talking about yourself, you would only use " Moi c'est ... " in very informal and relaxed situations, e.g. a friend circle. Otherwise, you would use a more classic :

"Je m'appelle Fred" or "Mon nom est Fred"

For his age, he could have gone on using an informal style by omitting "j'ai" :

"Salut, moi c'est Fred, 36 ans ..." (I'm Fred, 36.)

He says "je suis de Toulouse", I'm from Toulouse. Other ways he could have said it include :

"Je viens de Toulouse" (I come from Toulouse) or "Je suis toulousain" (I'm a "Toulousan") https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/3-j-viens-de-toulouse-toulousain.mp3

He then adds :

"diplômé d'une école de commerce" (I have a degree from a business school)

Note he omits "je suis" this time. It's worth noting that the French are highly averse to repeating words - word repetition is considered a very bad thing in French. French speakers always look for alternative words or phrases to avoid repetition, even if that affects the clarity of the sentence.

For example, in a news report in French about the president of the United States, the journalist will say "the President of the United States" once, but will then refer to him as "the tenant of the White House", or other similar contrived phrases .

Here, the offending phrase would be "je suis", which was already used in "je suis de Toulouse".

There are lots of "ecoles de commerce" (business / management schools) all over France, from small, less competitive ones, to top prestigious schools such as H.E.C. and INSEAD. Business and Engineering are two of the most common degrees college graduates earn.

Fred goes on saying :

"Je suis commercial chez un concessionnaire auto".

When talking about yourself and your occupation in French, you typically use the construct " être + occupation " :

"Je suis entrepreneur" (I'm an entrepreneur) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/5-j-s-entrepreneur.mp3 "Elle est boulangère" (she's a baker) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/6-elle-est-boulang.mp3 "Il est jardinier" (he's a gardener) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/7-il-est-jardinier.mp3

Click here for more examples on discussing your occupation at a cocktail party.

Note he uses the phrase "concessionnaire auto" ( car dealership). Native French speakers love to shorten words in everyday spoken French, here "concessionnaire auto" is short for "concessionnaire automobile".

Click here for more word shortening examples in spoken French.

Talking about yourself in French : your personality and tastes

Referring to himself, he says :

"Je suis du genre extraverti" (I'm the extraverted kind)

"Etre du genre" is frequently used in spoken French when talking about yourself or someone else, to mean being of a certain type :

"Je suis du genre poli" : I'm the polite type https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/8-j-s-du-genre-poli.mp3 "Elle est du genre timide" : she's a shy kind of girl https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/9-elle-est-du-genre-timide.mp3 "Ils sont du genre stressé" : they are the stressed out kind https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/10-ils-sont-du-genre-stresse.mp3

We also use " je suis plutôt + adjective " for a similar meaning :

"Je suis plutôt calme (comme garçon)" : I'm more of a quiet boy https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/11-chui-pluto-calme-garcon.mp3 Or, combining the two constructs, you can say : "Il est plutôt du genre nerveux !" (he's more of the nervous type) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/12-il-est-pluto-genre-nerveux.mp3

The phrase "j'adore les contacts" is commonly used in French to mean "I love social interactions" - an important aspect of a person's personality, both in the personal or professional realm.

Fred then starts a sentence with :

" mon trip, c'est ... "

This is a colloquial French phrase to say : the things that I like, the things that make me tick, my thing is. A phrase you may often employ when talking about yourself :

"Son trip c'est le sport !" (sports are what makes her tick) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/13-son-trip-c-le-sport.mp3 "C'est quoi ton trip dans la vie ?" (what's your thing in life ? What do you like ?) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/14-c-koi-ton-trip-vie.mp3 "Moi, mon trip, c'est la danse" (danse is my thing) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/15-moi-mon-trip-danse.mp3

Fred is a party guy, likes to go out and have fun :

"Sortir, m'amuser" (go out, have fun)

Another way to say "sortir" is "faire la fête" (to party) :

"J'adore faire la fête !"

He could have used "s'éclater" instead of "s'amuser" :

"J'aime m'éclater" (I like to have fun, have a ball)

As he talks about himself and the things he likes to do, he says :

"Mon trip, c'est de mater le foot avec les potes"

The verb " mater " is a very colloquial, even slanguy French word for "to watch". It's often used in slang to mean "check out", often in the context of checking out girls / guys :

"Il n'arrête pas de mater les filles" (he keeps checking out the girls)

"Arrête de mater !" (stop staring !)

In our dialogue, there's no sexual connotation, but using the verb "mater" sounds cooler and more relaxed, a reference to the population that most frequently uses these words, i.e. the "cool and tough" youth population in rough city areas.

French speakers frequently say :

"On va mater un film ?" (shall we watch a movie ?) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/21-on-va-mater-un-film.mp3 or "on va se mater un film ?" https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/22-on-va-mater-se-mater-film.mp3 "On mate un petit match de tennis" (we're watching a tennis game for a little while) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/23-on-mate-petit-match-tennis.mp3

Fred likes to watch soccer games with his friends :

"avec les potes"

The word " pote " is another colloquial French term for friends, buddies, pals :

"Je vais au restau avec un pote" (I'm going to the restaurant with a buddy) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/24-j-vais-restau-avec-un-pote.mp3 "Avec des potes on part en Grèce" (with my buddies we're going to Greece) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/25-ac-des-potes-Grece.mp3

Saying " avec les potes " (vs. "avec mes potes") is like saying "with the boys", or if it's a woman speaking, "with the girls", suggesting your everyday friends.

He also says "délirer avec les filles", which in French literally means talking crazy with the girls, talk nonsense, babble, rave. The expression " délirer " normally refers to being delirious, but is often used in spoken French to mean hanging out and talking about fun stuff.

So here, "délirer avec les filles" really means "hanging out with the girls".

Other examples :

"On s'est posé et on a déliré pendant deux heures" (we hung our and talked about fun stuff for 2 hours) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/26-pose-delire-2h.mp3 "On a bien déliré à propos de musique" (we talked away about music) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/27-on-a-delire-musique.mp3 "On s'est fait un délire toute la soirée" (we talked about fun stuff all evening) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/28-on-s-fait-delire-soiree.mp3 The phrase "se faire un délire" is often used instead of just "délirer".

Fred then says :

"Je suis quelqu'un de cool"

French speakers often use " je suis quelqu'un (de, qui) " when talking about themselves, referring to themselves in the third person. For example, you may talk about yourself saying :

"Je suis quelqu'un de très patient" (I'm a very patient person)

"C'est quelqu'un de très ponctuel" (she's a very puntual person)

"je suis quelqu'un qui n'aime pas les disputes (I don't like arguments)

French people are often keen on being modest, and quite averse to what they see as bragging. So, when talking about yourself, using "je suis quelqu'un de (+ adjective)" will often be perceived as more pleasant than "je suis (+ adjective)", because it's a more indirect way of referring to your own self : you're NOT the center of the universe !

Click here for more about why you need to be modest in French.

Fred also adds :

"Je n'aime pas me prendre la tête."

In colloquial spoken French, the phrase " se prendre la tête ", possibly a reference to the gesture of holding your head when dealing with a complex issue, is a very colloquial expression for saying : to make simple things more complicated than they are, or to worry about things too much.

So Fred is saying he doesn't like to complicate his life by worrying about things unuyly. In other words, he lets things slide.

" je laisse couler " (I let things slide, flow, I don't get hung up about anything)

Note that "se prendre la tête avec quelqu'un" means to have an argument, a quarrel, with someone.

Talking about yourself in French : your love life

He then goes on to talk about his love life. He's currently single, but hasn't always been :

"j'ai été avec quelqu'un pendant deux ans" (I was with someone for 2 years)

When talking about yourself and your relationship status in French, you typically use " être avec " for being in a relationship :

"Je suis avec une française en ce moment" (I'm dating / going out with a French woman these days) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/36-j-suis-ac-une-frs-en-ce-momt.mp3 "Je suis avec quelqu'un depuis longtemps" (I've been in a relationship for a long time) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/37-chui-ac-qq-depuis-lgtps.mp3

Note how "être avec" translates literally to "to be with" in English, which has a similar meaning. To clearly express the notion of a relationship, you typically add an element of time in the sentence ("depuis longtemps").

Fred doesn't say "depuis deux ans" but " pendant deux ans", because his relationship has already ended - another cue is his use of "j'ai été" (passé composé).

He then adds "mais ça n'a pas marché" (it didn't work out)

The phrase "ça marche" (and "ça marche pas") is extremely common in everydat colloquial French. You use " ça marche / ça a marché " (or negative) to express that something succeeded or failed :

"Ça a marché tes exams ?" (did your exams work out well ?) Note the shortened word "exam", normally "examen". https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/38-ca-a-marche-exams.mp3 "Ça marche le boulot ?" (is your work going well ?) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/39-ca-marche-boulot.mp3 "J'ai posé ma candidature mais ça n'a pas marché" (I applied but it didn't work out) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/40-candidature-pas-marche.mp3

Note that it's particularly common in French to use "ça n'a pas marché" when referring to a relationship.

In everyday spoken French, you'll also hear the phrase "ça marche" used for "OK", "sure", "deal", or "see ya" :

"On se voit demain ?" "Ça marche !" (shall we meet tomorrow ? Sure) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/41-on-se-voit-demain-ca-marche.mp3 "Bon à plus tard !" "Ça marche !" (see you later ! See you)

Fred then explains why his relationship ended :

"Je ne supportais plus ses reproches"

The verb " supporter " in French typically means to stand, to bear, to put up with :

"Je dois te supporter toute la journée" (I have to put up with you all day) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/42-j-dois-te-supporter-tt-journee.mp3 "J'ai du mal à supporter cette situation" (I have trouble putting up with this situation) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/43-g-du-mal-supporter-situation.mp3 "Je ne la supporte pas !" (I can't stand her) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/44-je-ne-la-supporte-pas.mp3

Click here to watch a video dialogue and lesson in French about people who can't stand either either (uses the word "supporter")

Fred can't stand his girlfriend's constant complains, accusations : " reproches "

"Tu me fais beaucoup de reproches" (you blame me for / blame me for too many things) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/45-tu-me-fais-bcp-reproches.mp3 "Il te reproche de ne pas l'écouter" (he blames you for not listening to him) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/46-il-te-reproche-pas-ecouter.mp3

He gives an illustration of his girlfriend's nagging :

"pourquoi tu fais ci, pourquoi tu fais pas ça ..." (why do you do this, why don't you do that)

Fred goes on to explains how he meets women as a single guy, including at work :

"Sur mon lieu de travail"

This French phrase is commonly used to refer to the place where you work. It's typically an office space or a public place such as a restaurant, but it can be something else, for example if you work outdoors.

In Fred's case, he's referring to the car showroom where he works as a sales person.

"Je vois souvent passer de jolis petits lots"

The French phrase " joli petit lot " refers to a pretty girl, an expression that brings up images of a petite, neat-looking and well-dressed woman seeking to purchase a new vehicle.

Stronger French expressions to designate a hot looking girl include :

"une pin-up" (old fashion) "un canon" "une bombe" "une beauté" (a beauty) "un bonnasse" (a hottie, vulgar) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/49-pinup-canon-bombe-beaute-bonnasse.mp3

He uses the phrase " je vois passer ", meaning"I see them walk by". So while Fred is standing in the showroom waiting for customers to walk in, he watches pretty girls as they look around and check out the cars for sale.

He also checks out pretty girls on social networks. Judging from his talk, one may believe Fred is a real lady-killer, seducing women all day both offline and online...

Talking about yourself in French : work life

Fred goes back to his self-description, saying his job is not the center of his life :

"Mon job, c'est pas ma vie."

He could have said alternatively "ma vie c'est, pas mon job". That is, he has a life outside of work, work is actually not that important.

The French phrase :

"je fais mon boulot" (I do my job)

is often used by public-sector employees (fonctionnaires) or people with low motivation at work. It's a bit like saying "I do what I have to do, what they pay me for".

This idea is further confirmed by the phrase that follows :

"je ne cherche pas midi à 14 heures"

This French expression literally means "I don't look for noon at 2 oclock", possibly referring to the position of the hands of a clock. Common English translations of this expression include :

"I don't overthink things" "I don't make a mountain out of a mole hill"

French speakers commonly say, in everyday life :

"Il ne faut pas chercher midi à quatorze heures"

that is, there's no need to look for complicated things, this matter is simpler than it looks.

For example, someone you know is looking upset, and you're wondering if you've said or done something wrong. You talk to a common friend about it, and he says :

"Elle est juste fatiguée, il ne faut pas chercher midi à 14 heures" (she's just tired, don't work your brain too much trying to figure out what's wrong)

Talking about his boss, Fred says ".

"mon chef est du genre chicaneur" (my boss is the nitpicking kind)

In French, the verb "chicaner" means to nibble / quibble :

"On ne va pas chicaner pour quelques centimes !" (we're not going to quibble over a few cents) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/53-on-va-pas-chicaner-centimes.mp3 Note that in Canadian French (Québec), "chicaner" is used in a different way and means arguing, quarreling.

In contrast to his boss, Fred says he's a mellow kind of guy :

"Je suis plutôt zen"

French speakers use the word "zen" a lot when referring to a relaxed, serene person or situation :

"Elle est très zen" (she's very calm, serene, collected) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/54-elle-est-tres-zen.mp3 "c'est plutôt zen ici !" (this place is quite calm, relaxed) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/55-c-pluto-zen-ici.mp3

Fred adds "... alors que moi je suis zen". When talking about yourself in French, you can use the the phrase "alors que moi" (whereas I ...) to highlight a contrast with someone else :

"Il a les yeux bleus, alors que moi j'ai les yeux marrons" (he has blue eyes whereas I have brown eyes)

"Je n'aime pas trop les objectifs, les évaluations, ni les patrons prise de tête."

The phrase " je n'aime pas trop " is very frequently used in colloquial French conversation. We typically mean "I don't like", but in French saying "je n'aime pas" is considered a strong statement which can be unpleasant to the listener.

In general, French speakers use "pas trop" a lot to mitigate their negative statements :

"Je n'aime pas trop les fruits" (I don't like fruits) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/57-jaime-pas-trop-les-fruits.mp3 "Elle n'a pas trop la forme" (she's not in good shape) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/58-elle-a-pas-trop-la-forme.mp3 "On ne regarde pas trop la télé" (we don't watch TV) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/59-on-regarde-pas-trop-la-tele.mp3

Of course, there are cases where " pas trop " actually means "not too much", but if you've been around French people for long enough, you probably noticed it's often used as a way to damper negative statements.

In Fred's case, he's clearly saying he does NOT like sales objectives, evals and picky managers. We can even safely say he actually HATES those things.

Notice the phrase "les patrons prise de tête". It's a very colloquial French phrase related to the phrase "se prendre la tête", which as we saw earlier, means to make things complicated, to worry a lot about small things.

So " prise de tête " is used as an adjective to refer to someone who "prend la tête", that is someone who is a pain, who creates complication and stress to others (as opposed to self for " se prendre la tête").

"Ce type est vraiment prise de tête !" (this guy is really a pain) = "il me prend la tête" (he stresses me out, makes me anxious)

Fred says :

"Je ne suis pas non plus très fan des clients qui posent des tonnes de questions !"

The French phrase " je ne suis pas fan de " (I'm not a fan of) is another way of saying "je n'aime pas trop", which in turn typically means "je n'aime pas" :

"Je ne suis pas fan de la nourriture asiatique" (I'm not a fan of Asian food) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/61-suis-pas-fan-nourriture-asiat.mp3 "Je ne suis pas très fan de la musique classique" (I'm not crazy about classical music) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/62-j-suis-pas-tres-fan-musique-classique.mp3

Fred is not a big fan of clients who ask tons of questions. The colloquial French phrase "des tonnes de" is similar to the English "tons of" :

"Il n'a pas des tonnes de fric" (he doesn't have tons of money - "fric" is slang) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/63-il-a-pas-des-tonnes-fric.mp3 "Il y a des tonnes de rochers" (there are tons of rocks) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/64-ya-des-tonnes-de-rochers.mp3 "On n'a pas des tonnes de possibilités" (we don't have tons of options) https://www.blablafrancais.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/65-tonnes-possibilites.mp3

An alternative phrase you can use for "des tonnes de" is "des tas de" :

"Il y a des tas de gens qui font pareil" (there are tons of people who do the same)

Wrapping up

I hope what you've learned through Fred's self-presentation will be helpful to you the next time you need to talk about yourself in French.

I also hope you are more a professional worker than Fred is ... But even if you are, ne vous prenez pas trop la tête ! Ne cherchez pas toujours midi à quatorze heures.

If you liked this article, leave me a comment below ! And please share it with your friends using the buttons below the comments.

Until next time !

Click to download the MP3 files for this article (zip)

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One Comment on “How to talk about yourself in French”

Great Article!

Again, there are so many informal, colloquial phrases in it that are just not taught in schools and institutions. For example, “c’est mon trip” was something I’ve heard when among French friends but did not really know what it meant!

Also found it interesting just how much French speakers hate repetition with such a passion!

Comments are closed.

Write an essay in French

Beyond the fact that writing an essay in French can be a good practice to improve your writing, you may also be asked to write one during your schooling. So, it is important to study the topic of French essay writing and get some useful tips..

» Tips and tricks for your French essay » The structure of a French essay » Sample French Essay

Tips and tricks for your French essay

When writing a French essay for school, you should always use a structured approach and good French skills to present your arguments in a focused way. Beyond French skills, there are also important formal requirements for a successful French essay. We will come back to this in detail later. First, you will find some useful tips and tricks that will help you write more compelling and better French essays in the future.

Have a clear thesis and structure
Do sufficient research and use reliable sources
Use examples and arguments to support your thesis
Avoid plagiarism and cite correctly
Always check structure, grammar and spelling

When you write your essay at school or university, you need to make sure that the general structure of your essay, the presentation of the arguments and, above all, your French language skills play a role in the mark you will get. This is why you should definitely take a closer look at the structure of an essay as well as the most important grammar rules and formulations for French essays.

The structure of a French essay

In an essay, you deal at length and in detail with a usually given topic. When you write an essay in French, you must follow a certain structure. Below we show you what this structure looks like and give you some tips for writing the most important parts of your essay.

The Introduction

The introduction prepares the main body of your essay. You think of a meaningful title for your essay, you describe your thesis or your question, you give general information on the subject and you prepare your argument by giving an overview of your most important arguments.

Below are examples and phrases that you can use to write the introduction to your essay in French.

The title should be meaningful, concise and reflect the content of the essay.

Introductory paragraph

The first paragraph of your French essay should briefly introduce the topic and engage the reader. Here are some examples to help you write your essay:

Proposal or question

The central proposition or question of your French essay should be a clear and concise definition of the purpose of the essay. Use these examples to get a clearer idea of how to write theses in French:

Overview of Arguments and Structure

At the end of your introduction, describe the structure of the main part of your essay (your outline) and outline your argument. Here are some French expressions that will certainly help you write your essay:

The body of your essay

The main part of your French essay deals with the given topic in detail. The subject is studied from all angles. The main body of your essay follows a thread of argument and discusses in detail the main arguments of your thesis previously made in the introduction.

In the body of the text, you should discuss the subject of your essay in clear and concise language. To achieve this, we give you some wording aids as well as vocabulary and phrases that you can use to write your essay in French.

Formulation tools:

French vocabulary for essays.

In the conclusion of your French essay, you address the thesis of your essay, summarize the main points of your discussion in the main body, and draw a conclusion. On the basis of the arguments and the resulting conclusions, you formulate in the conclusion of your dissertation final thoughts and suggestions for the future. It is important that you do not add new information or new arguments. This should only be done in the body of your text.

Here are some wording guides to help you write your essay in French:

Sample French Essay

Les avantages des voyages linguistiques

Malgré les difficultés potentielles, les voyages linguistiques offrent aux apprenants une occasion unique d'améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques et de découvrir de nouvelles cultures, ce qui en fait un investissement précieux pour leur développement personnel et académique.

Les séjours linguistiques sont des voyages organisés dans le but d'améliorer les compétences linguistiques des participants. Ces voyages peuvent se dérouler dans le pays ou à l'étranger et durer d'un week-end à plusieurs semaines. L'un des principaux avantages des séjours linguistiques est l'immersion. Entourés de locuteurs natifs, les apprenants sont contraints de pratiquer et d'améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques dans des situations réelles.Il s'agit d'une méthode d'apprentissage beaucoup plus efficace que le simple fait d'étudier une langue dans une salle de classe.

Un autre avantage des séjours linguistiques est l'expérience culturelle. Voyager dans un nouveau pays permet aux apprenants de découvrir de nouvelles coutumes, traditions et modes de vie, et de se familiariser avec l'histoire et la culture du pays. Cela enrichit non seulement l'expérience d'apprentissage de la langue, mais contribue également à élargir les horizons et à accroître la sensibilisation culturelle.

Cependant, les séjours linguistiques peuvent également présenter des inconvénients. Par exemple, le coût du voyage et de l'hébergement peut être élevé, en particulier pour les séjours de longue durée. En outre, les apprenants peuvent être confrontés à la barrière de la langue ou à un choc culturel, ce qui peut être difficile à surmonter. Le coût et les difficultés potentielles des séjours linguistiques peuvent sembler décourageants, mais ils offrent des avantages précieux en termes d'épanouissement personnel et scolaire.

Les compétences linguistiques et les connaissances culturelles acquises peuvent déboucher sur de nouvelles opportunités d'emploi et améliorer la communication dans un cadre professionnel. Les bourses et les aides financières rendent les séjours linguistiques plus accessibles. Le fait d'être confronté à une barrière linguistique ou à un choc culturel peut également être l'occasion d'un développement personnel. Ces avantages l'emportent largement sur les inconvénients et font des séjours linguistiques un investissement qui en vaut la peine.

En conclusion, malgré les difficultés potentielles, les séjours linguistiques offrent aux apprenants une occasion unique d'améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques et de découvrir de nouvelles cultures, ce qui en fait un investissement précieux pour le développement personnel et académique. Qu'il s'agisse d'un débutant ou d'un apprenant avancé, un voyage linguistique est une expérience à ne pas manquer.

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How to Write an Excellent French Essay (Resources Included)

Tips to write an excellent french essay.

Writing essays is challenging enough, but when you are asked to write a French essay, you are not only being asked to write in a foreign language, but to follow the conventions of another linguistic and literary tradition. Like essay-writing in any language, the essential part of writing a French essay is to convey your thoughts and observations on a certain topic in a clear and concise manner. French essays do come out of a certain tradition that is part of the training of all students who attend school in France – or at least secondary school – and when you are a French essay, it is important to be aware of this tradition.

The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne is credited with popularizing the essay form as a literary genre. His work, Essais, first published in 1580, and undergoing several subsequent publications before his death in 1592, covers a wide breadth of topics, ranging from “amitié” to “philosopher c’est apprendre à mourir”, and includes many literary references, as well as personal anecdotes. The name for this genre, essai, is the nominal form of the verb essayer, “to attempt”. We have an archaic English verb essay, meaning the same thing. The limerick that includes the phrase, “... when she essayed to drink lemonade ...” indicates an attempt to drink a beverage and has nothing to do with writing about it. But the writing form does illustrate an attempt to describe a topic in depth with the purpose of developing new insights on a particular text or corpus.

French instructors are very specific about what they would like when they ask for an essay, meaning that they will probably specify whether they would like an explication de texte, commentaire composé, or dissertation. That last essay form should not be confused with the document completed for a doctorate in anglophone countries – this is called a thèse in French, by the way. There are different formats for each of these types of essay, and different objectives for each written form.

Types of Essay

1. l’explication de texte.

An explication de texte is a type of essay for which you complete a close reading. It is usually written about a poem or a short passage within a larger work. This close reading will elucidate different themes and stylistic devices within the text. When you are completing an explication de texte, make sure to follow the structure of the text as you complete a close examination of its form and content. The format for an explication de texte consists of:

i. An introduction, in which you situate the text within its genre and historical context. This is where you can point out to your readers the general themes of the text, its form, the trajectory of your reading, and your approach to the text.

ii. The body, in which you develop your ideas, following the structure of the text. Make sure you know all of the meanings of the words used, especially the key terms that point to the themes addressed by the author. It is a good idea to look words up in the dictionary to find out any second, third, and fourth meanings that could add to the themes and forms you describe. Like a student taking an oral examination based on this type of essay writing, you will be expected to have solid knowledge of the vocabulary and grammatical structures that appear in the text. Often the significance of the language used unfolds as you explain the different components of theme, style, and composition.

iii. A conclusion, in which you sum up the general meaning of the text and the significance of the figures and forms being used. You should also give the implications of what is being addressed, and the relevance of these within a larger literary, historical, or philosophical context.

NB: If you are writing about a poem, include observations on the verse, rhyme schemes, and meter. It is a good idea to refer to a reference work on versification. If you are writing about a philosophical work, be familiar with philosophical references and definitions of concepts.

Caveat: Refrain from paraphrasing. Instead show through careful analysis of theme, style, and composition the way in which the main ideas of the text are conveyed.

2. Le commentaire composé

A commentaire composé is a methodologically codified commentary that focuses on themes in a particular text. This type of essay develops different areas of reflection through analytical argument. Such argumentation should clarify the reading that you are approaching by presenting components of the text from different perspectives. In contrast to the explication de texte, it is organized thematically rather than following the structure of the text to which it refers. The format for a commentaire composé consists of:

i. An introduction, in which you present the question you have come up with, often in relation to a prompt commenting on a thematic or stylistic aspect of the text, such as “Montrez en quoi ce texte évoque l’amour courtois” or “Qu’apporte l’absence de la ponctuation dans ce texte ?” In this section, you will be expected to delineate your approach to the text and illustrate the trajectory of your ideas so that your readers will have a clear idea of the direction these ideas will take.

ii. A tripartite body, in which you explore the question you have come up with, citing specific examples in the text that are especially pertinent to the areas of reflection you wish to explore. These citations should be explained and connected to the broad themes of your commentary, all the while providing details that draw the readers’ attention to your areas of inquiry. These different areas of inquiry may initially seem disparate or even contradictory, but eventually come together to form a harmonious reading that addresses different aspects of the text. The more obvious characteristics of the text should illuminate its subtler aspects, which allows for acute insight into the question that you are in the process of exploring.

iii. A conclusion, in which you evaluate your reading and synthesize its different areas of inquiry. This is where you may include your own opinions, but make sure that the preceding sections of your commentaire remain analytical and supported by evidence that you find in the text.

NB: Looking at verb tenses, figures of speech, and other aspects that contribute to the form of the text will help situate your reader, as will commenting on the register of language, whether this language is ornate, plain, reflects a style soutenu, or less formal patterns of speech.

Caveat: Quotations do not replace observations or comments on the text. Explain your quotations and situate them well within your own text.

3. La dissertation

The dissertation is a personal, organized, and methodical reflection on a precise question that refers to a corpus of writing. Referring to this corpus, you may be asked questions along the lines of “Que pensez-vous de l’équivalence entre l’amour et la chanson exprimée dans ces textes ?” or “Est-ce que la sagesse et la folie ont les mêmes sources?” This type of essay allows for an exploration of a question through knowledge of a corpus as well as through an individual’s cultural knowledge. The format for a dissertation consists of:

i. An introduction, in which you present the topic addressed, the significance of your argument, and the trajectory of your ideas.

ii. The body which, like a commentaire composé, consists of a tripartite development of your argument. This can follow any one of the following structures: a dialectical schema, organized into thèse, antithèse, and synthèse – an argument, its counter-argument, and its rebuttal; an analytical schema, consisting of the description of a situation, an analysis of its causes, and commentary on its consequences; a thematic schema, which consists of a reflection on a topic which you proceed to examine from different angles in an orderly fashion.

iii. A conclusion, in which you address the different ways in which you have approached the question at hand and how this deepens your insights, while placing the question within a broader context that shows room for expansion. The conclusion can open up the topic addressed to show its placement within a literary movement, or in opposition to another literary movement that follows it, for example.

NB: Approach the question at hand with as few preconceptions as possible. If you are writing on a quotation, gather all of your knowledge about its author, the work in which it appears, and the body of literature with which it is associated.

Caveat: Even for a personal reflection, such as a dissertation, avoid using the first person pronoun je. Nous or on are preferable. It is advisable not to switch from one to the other, though.

For each of these essay forms, it is a good idea to make an outline to which you can refer as you write. As your writing progresses, things may shift a bit, but having a structure on which you can rely as you gather your various ideas and information into a coherent argument provides solid foundation for a clear and well-developed essay. This also facilitates smooth transitions from one section of your essay to the next.

During your reading, you may encounter a problem, a contradiction, or a surprising turn of phrase that is difficult to figure out. Such moments in a text give you the opportunity to delve into the unique characteristics of the text or corpus to which you are referring, to propose different solutions to the problems you encounter, and to describe their significance within a larger literary, philosophical, and historical context. Essay writing allows you to become more familiar with French works, with their cultural significance, and with the French language. You can refer to the following resources to guide you in this endeavor:

Auffret, Serge et Hélène. Le commentaire composé. Paris: Hachette, 1991. Dufau, Micheline et Ellen D'Alelio. Découverte du poème: Introduction à l'explication de textes. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967. Grammont, Maurice. Petit traité de versification française. Paris: A. Colin, 2015. Huisman, Denis et L. R. Plazolles. L’art de la dissertation littéraire : du baccalauréat au C.A.P.E.S. Paris : Société d’édition d’enseignement supérieur, 1965.

The French newspaper Le Monde also has good articles on these essay forms that prepare French students for the baccalauréat exam: CLICK HERE

This is also a website with thorough information on essay writing techniques that prepare students for the baccalauréat exam: CLICK HERE

In addition, the University of Adelaide has tips for general essay writing in French: CLICK HERE

🇫🇷 Looking for More French Resources?

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Simple French Lessons Online and Other Things Too

Lesson 4: Talk about Yourself

Learn how to briefly talk about yourself in French. Learn how say what your name and age are, where you live (city and country), what you do for a living , what you like doing , where you work and what languages you speak . Audio text with interactive exercises to improve your learning.

Read the text below and listen to the audio for pronunciation. Next, do the reading comprehension exercise and answer the questions at the end. For any problems with comprehension, take a look into the Notes section.

1. Text: Talk About Yourself in French

[wp-svg-icons icon=”volume-medium” wrap=”i”]

Bonjour. Je m’appelle Marie. J ’ ai 27 ans et j ’ habite à Nantes, en France. J ’ ai toujours vécu dans cette ville. Je suis professeur de français et je travaille à l’Université. J’ aime apprendre les langues étrangères . Je parle anglais et espagnol. J’aime également sortir avec des amis et voyager. Je suis déjà allée* en Allemagne, en Pologne, en Espagne, en Angleterre et en Irlande. Et toi, quels pays as -tu visités ?

[su_spoiler title=”Vocabulary”]

habiter à Nantes / à Paris / à Rome travailler à l ‘hôpital / à la radio / au centre commercial J ‘ ai vécu : I have lived / I lived … aimer apprendre / manger / voyager / rencontrer

[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title=”Grammar”]

Le présent et le passé (Le passé composé )

A. simple present tense:.

– Le présent : current actions and situations, habits, general truths

Je m’appelle Marie.
J’habite à Nantes.
Je parle espagnol.
Je suis professeur.

Conjugation example:

The most common French verb group is the the “-er” group, that all the verb that end on “er”. Examples: parler, habiter, aimer, s’appeler.

All of them conjugate the same way, by adding the appropriate suffixes to the stem (its base) of the verb. -e, -es,-e, -ons, -ez, -ent

B. Past Tense

– le passé composé : completed actions in the past..

être / avoir + verb (past participle).

Whether you need to use être or avoir depends on the verb.

Eg. avoir + vivre

Je vis à Nantes. I live in Nantes .
J’ ai vécu à Nantes. I lived / have lived in Nantes .

Eg. être + aller

Je vais à Berlin. I go to Berlin.
Je suis allé à Berlin. I have been to Berlin.
Je vais à l’école. I go to school.
Je suis allé à l’école. I went to school / I have been to school.

! I have been to Spain = Je suis allé en Espagne = J’ai visité Espagne.

! Je suis allé e = you add the “e” at the end of the “allé” when you “Je” refers to a girl. It exists and is visible only in writing.

Le passé composé conjugation

The “s” in this sentence should appear if “Vous” refers to more than one person. If it is “vous” as in the polite and formal way of addressing someone, the “s” is dropped.

[su_spoiler title=”Phonetics”]

3. Exercises

Reading Comprehension:

[su_spoiler title=”Explanation of the exercise”]

[content id=”439″]

[xyz-ihs snippet=”talk-about-yourself-3-with-check”]

4. Homework

what your name is and how old you are
where you live (city, country)
what kind of work you do and where you work
what you like doing
what foreign languages you speak
what countries you have visited
Quel est ton prénom ?
Quel âge as-tu ?
Que fais-tu dans la vie ? (Où travailles-tu ?)
Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire ?
Quelles langues étrangères parles-tu ?
Quels pays étrangers as-tu visités ?
Learn by heart the answers you have created.

One Reply to “Lesson 4: Talk about Yourself”

1. Je m’appelle Juan. 2. J’ai 23 ans. 3. Je suis étudiant. 4. J’aime voyager aussi. 5. Je peux parler espagnol, italien, anglais et français. 6. J’ai visité 3 pays étrangers: France, Italie, Grande Bretagne.

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Introduction in Other Languages

Self Introduction in French: Learn to Introduce Yourself in French

In today’s globalized world, knowing more than one language can be a valuable asset. French, as one of the most widely spoken languages, is an excellent choice for anyone looking to expand their linguistic horizons. One essential skill when learning a new language is the ability to introduce yourself. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the art of self-introduction in French, complete with five examples to help you become proficient at this fundamental communication skill.

Why is Self-Introduction Important?

Before diving into the specifics of self-introduction in French, it’s essential to understand the significance of this skill. Self-introduction is the gateway to building relationships, whether they are personal or professional. It creates a connection with others, allowing them to know more about you and, in turn, encourages a more genuine interaction. Learning how to introduce yourself in French will not only open doors to effective communication but also demonstrate respect for the language and culture.

The Basic Structure

To create an effective self-introduction in French, it’s important to follow a basic structure. Here’s an outline to get you started:

Greeting: Begin with a polite greeting, such as “Bonjour” (Good morning) or “Bonsoir” (Good evening), depending on the time of day.
Name: State your name by saying “Je m’appelle [Your Name],” which translates to “My name is [Your Name].”
Age: Optionally, mention your age with “J’ai [age] ans,” which means “I am [age] years old.”
Origin: Share where you’re from by saying “Je viens de [Your Country or City],” meaning “I come from [Your Country or City].”
Occupation: Mention your occupation or what you do by saying “Je suis [Your Occupation],” which means “I am [Your Occupation].”
Hobbies or Interests: Conclude your introduction by mentioning some of your hobbies or interests, for example, “J’aime [Your Hobbies],” meaning “I like [Your Hobbies].”

Self Introduction in French Examples

Now, let’s explore this structure through five examples of short self-introductions in French.

French: “Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. J’ai trente ans. Je viens de Paris. Je suis avocate. J’aime lire et voyager.”
English: “Hello, my name is Marie. I am thirty years old. I come from Paris. I am a lawyer. I enjoy reading and traveling.”

Pronunciation:

Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. (bohn-zhoor, zhuh mah-pehl Mah-ree)
J’ai trente ans. (zhay trahnt ahn)
Je viens de Paris. (zhuh vyehn duh Pah-ree)
Je suis avocate. (zhuh swee ah-vo-kat)
J’aime lire et voyager. (zh-em leer ay voy-ah-zhay)

Self-Introduction Example 2: Casual Social Setting

French: “Salut, je m’appelle Antoine. J’ai vingt-cinq ans. Je viens de Lyon. Je suis étudiant. J’adore la musique et jouer au football.”
English: “Hi, I’m Antoine. I’m twenty-five years old. I come from Lyon. I’m a student. I love music and playing football.”
Salut, je m’appelle Antoine. (sa-loo, zhuh mah-pehl Ahn-twahn)
J’ai vingt-cinq ans. (zhay van-sank-seenk ahn)
Je viens de Lyon. (zhuh vyehn duh L’yohn)
Je suis étudiant. (zhuh swee zay-tee-yahn)
J’adore la musique et jouer au football. (zhah-dor lah mee-zeek ay zhoo-ay oh foot-bahl)

Self-Introduction Example 3: First Day of French Class

French: “Bonsoir, je m’appelle Isabelle. J’ai quarante ans. Je viens de Montréal. Je suis enseignante. J’aime cuisiner et apprendre de nouvelles langues.”
English: “Good evening, my name is Isabelle. I am forty years old. I come from Montreal. I am a teacher. I enjoy cooking and learning new languages.”
Bonsoir, je m’appelle Isabelle. (bohn-swahr, zhuh mah-pehl Ee-zah-bell)
J’ai quarante ans. (zhay kahr-ahnt ahn)
Je viens de Montréal. (zhuh vyehn duh MohN-tray-AHL)
Je suis enseignante. (zhuh swee ahn-say-nyahnt)
J’aime cuisiner et apprendre de nouvelles langues. (zh-em kwee-zeen-ay ay ah-prahndruh duh noo-vel lahN-g)

Self-Introduction Example 4: Family Gathering

French: “Salut tout le monde, je m’appelle Thomas. J’ai dix-huit ans. Je viens de Nice. Je suis lycéen. J’adore les jeux vidéo et le cinéma.”
English: “Hi, everyone, I’m Thomas. I’m eighteen years old. I come from Nice. I’m a high school student. I love video games and cinema.”
Salut tout le monde, je m’appelle Thomas. (sa-loo toot luh mohnd, zhuh mah-pehl Toh-mah)
J’ai dix-huit ans. (zhay dee-zweet ahn)
Je viens de Nice. (zhuh vyehn duh Nees)
Je suis lycéen. (zhuh swee lee-say-ahn)
J’adore les jeux vidéo et le cinéma. (zhah-dor lay zhuh vee-dee-oh ay luh see-nay-mah)

Self-Introduction Example 5: Job Interview

French: “Bonjour, je m’appelle Claire. J’ai vingt-sept ans. Je viens de Toulouse. Je suis ingénieure en informatique. J’aime résoudre des problèmes et travailler en équipe.”
English: “Hello, my name is Claire. I am twenty-seven years old. I come from Toulouse. I am a computer engineer. I enjoy solving problems and working in teams.”
Bonjour, je m’appelle Claire. (bohn-zhoor, zhuh mah-pehl Klehr)
J’ai vingt-sept ans. (zhay van-set ahn)
Je viens de Toulouse. (zhuh vyehn duh Too-looz)
Je suis ingénieure en informatique. (zhuh swee an-zhay-nyuhr ahn een-fohr-mah-teek)
J’aime résoudre des problèmes et travailler en équipe. (zh-em ray-zoodr day pro-blehm ay trah-vah-yay ahN eh-keh-eep)

Mastering the art of self-introduction in French is an essential step in your language learning journey. It not only aids in building meaningful relationships but also demonstrates respect for the French language and culture. By following the basic structure of a French self-introduction and practicing with examples like the ones provided, you’ll be well on your way to confidently introducing yourself in French. Bonne chance (Good luck) with your language learning adventure!

Drew is the creator of myselfintroduction.com, designed to teach everyone how to introduce themselves to anyone with confidence in any situation.

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How to Talk About Yourself in French

Learning how to properly talk about yourself in another language is key to making the best first impression possible when meeting new people. There are a variety of ways to introduce yourself and your personality in each culture, with its particular customs and formulations.

Introducing yourself in French

These are some of the first things you will learn in any French language class, they are key phrases to learn to use when introducing yourself.

Your name, age, and nationality may be some of the first things someone asks of you if you are meeting them for the first time, and knowing these phrases will allow you to make a good first impression.

“ Bonjour, je m’appelle __.” - “Hello, my name is ____.” This is the same formulation regardless of the gender of the speaker. Of course, you can also switch up the salutation itself to better fit the context, such as using “Salut” for a casual one, or “Bonsoir” if it is the evening.

“ Je m’appelle ____, et je viens des Etats-Unis.” - “My name is ___, and I come from the United States.” Of course, you would replace ‘Etats-Unis’ with any place you are coming from, such as ‘Bresil’ for Brazil, ‘Le Royaume-Unis’ for the United Kingdom, and so forth.

“ Je m’appelle ___, j’ai vingt-quatre ans et je viens du Royaume-Unis.” - “My name is ___, I am twenty-four and I come from the United Kingdom.” This phrase, when substituted with the correct name, age, and nationality which applies to you, covers all the basic information needed when meeting someone for the first time.

“ J’ai vingt-neuf ans, et je vais bientôt avoir trente ans.” - “I will soon be thirty.” In French, when saying how old you are, you use the verb “avoir” (to have), meaning it literally translates to “I have twenty-nine years.” If you are close to twenty, thirty, or forty years old, it may be more natural to say you are nearing that decade.

“ Je suis Américaine, mais je vis au Canada.” - “I am American, but I live in Canada.” If you have been living in another country than your natal one for a long time, you may feel that it is a significant part of your identity. By telling someone where you live in addition to where you are from, they may get a better sense of who you are and where you are coming from.

Talking About Your Profession and Studies in French

Work and studies are an important part of most people’s lives. Knowing how to describe where you work or study, and what in what field, can give a person important insight into who you are and what you do in life.

Below, we will show you some basic examples of how to introduce your profession or field of study in French.

“ Je suis étudiante en médecine dans une université Américaine.” - “I am a medical student in an American university.” If you want to say what year of study you are in, you can add “Je suis en troisième année” (I am in third year), “Je suis en masters” (I am doing my masters), and so forth.

“ J’ai fini mes études pour devenir vétérinaire, et pour le moment je fais un stage en Californie.” - “I finished my degree to become a veterinarian, and at the moment I am doing an internship in California.” As with the others, you can always replace ‘ vétérinaire’ with other professions such as ‘banquier’ (banker), ‘ambassadeur’ (ambassador), ‘danseuse’ (dancer), and so forth.

“ Je suis institutrice dans une école primaire.” - “I am a teacher in a primary school.” In French, “école primaire” refers to school from ages six to around ten. Kindergarten is “la maternelle,” middle school is “le college, ” and highschool is “le lycée.”

“ Je vais commencer des études en business à l'automne." - “I will begin business studies in the Fall.” You would use this phrase if you are a soon-to-be university student. In French, the word “business” is borrowed from English, but pronounced with a French accent. You may not be understood if you use an American or British accent when pronouncing the word.

“ Je viens de finir mes études, et je vais commencer un stage à New York.” - “I have just finished my studies, and I am going to start an internship in New York.” In France, internships are often required for students and are much more common than in North America. Students will sometimes do two or three internships over the course of their degree and may have the choice to go abroad for them.

“ Je travaille dans le secteur de la culture.” - “I work in the cultural sector.” In French, it is common to refer to the field you work in by its sector, especially if the profession you are doing covers a wide variety of tasks. It also puts emphasis on the environment and subject of your profession rather than on your job itself.

Talking About Your Interests in French

Interests are an important part of anyone’s personality, and knowing how to describe your interests, passions, and hobbies, is crucial when learning a new language. Knowing these basic formulations will help you deepen conversations in French. They will also be useful when making French friends .

“ Je suis passionné par le sport.” - “I am passionate about sports.” This is the basic French formulation to say you are passionate about something, and you can always swap out “le sport” for something such as “les voitures” (cars), “l’histoire” (history), “les langues” (languages), for example.

“ Ma passion dans la vie est le voyage.” - “My passion in life is travel.” Unlike the previous phrase, this French phrase is used to express the ultimate passion you may have in life. By using this phrase, you are communicating that above all else, this is the thing which gives you life. As with the last phrase, you can switch “le voyage” to any passion you may have.

“ J’adore apprendre de nouvelles langues.” - “I love to learn new languages.” For a less intense version, you can also say “J’aime…” instead of “J’adore,” which translates to “I like.” However, “J’adore” is less intense than the English “I love,” meaning that you can use “J’adore” without sounding extreme.

“ Je suis une fan des documentaires sur la nature.” - “I am a fan of documentaries on nature.” This is the feminine version of the phrase, and in the masculine form, you would use “un fan.” This phrase is more casual, and would refer to a general interest or hobby of yours rather than something you are very passionate about. You would also use this in casual, rather than formal, settings.

“ La politique ne m'intéresse pas, je préfère la littérature." - “Politics do not interest me, I prefer literature.” Although we generally speak more about our positive interests, it is good to know how to talk about what you do not like. In this case, by talking about the lack of interest in politics, even more emphasis is placed on literature.

“ J’aime la cuisine, les livres, et les randonnées." - “I like cooking, books, and hiking.” This is a simple and effective way to cover some of your most important interests. After learning more French vocabulary, you will be able to easily substitute any of these terms to fit your personality and the context you are in.

Talking About Your Personality in French

As much as interests, work, and studies are key features of a person, certain personality traits are fundamental to each person, and make us unique as individuals. Knowing phrases on how to talk about certain parts of your personality can help deepen another person’s understanding of who you truly are.

“ Je suis une personne plutôt timide.” - “I am a rather shy person.” No matter the gender of the speaker, when you use the French noun « une personne » to refer to yourself, it is always feminine. (see this article for more on determining the gender of French nouns ). If you are a shy person, letting the person that you are speaking with know can help them understand how you are around people better.

“ Je suis une personne très extravertie.” - “I am a very extroverted person.” If you are traveling alone in a French-speaking country, for example, and tell someone you have just met that you are extraverted, they may be more inclined to have you meet their friends.

“ Je me considère ouvert d’esprit.” - “I consider myself to be open-minded.” Using the phrasing “Je me considère” may be a more humble and appropriate way to say you are open-minded, otherwise it can sound a bit assertive. “Je me considère” is a very eloquent French phrase to know in general when you are describing yourself.

“ On me dit souvent que je suis une personne drôle." - “I am often told that I am a funny person.” Be careful not to switch up the wording by saying “une drôle de personne,” which would translate closely to “a weird person.” Although used less commonly, this phrasing can be used to switch up from the usual “Je suis…” formulation.

“ Je n’ai pas beaucoup de confiance en moi.” - “I do not have much confidence in myself.” A lot of people struggle with insecurity and lack of confidence, and confiding it in someone can help make the relationship stronger. We all have more or less positive personality traits, and knowing how to communicate them all is a good skill to have.

“ Je suis très sensible et j’aime beaucoup aider les autres.” - “I am very sensitive and like to help others.” The French word « sensible » is used more regularly than its English equivalent « sensitive » is used in English, and has less negative connotations. By saying you are sensitive in French, you are saying that you are sympathetic and probably feel a lot of emotions.

“ J’ai tendance à être attiré par les gens calmes.” - “I have a tendency to be attracted to calm people.” The kind of person are attracted to, whether romantic or otherwise, can say a lot about the kind person you are. If you are more on the eccentric side of the spectrum, you may find yourself closer to people who are calm, to create a balance.

Talking About Your Physical Features in French

Physical features are also an important part of what makes individuals unique. Although they may not be as important to what makes up a person, there will always exist situations in which you will need to know how to describe your most basic features. These phrases will help you learn to talk about your physical features in French.

“ Je suis grand, mince, et j’ai les yeux bruns.” - “I am tall, skinny, and have brown eyes.” You could also say “marron, ” which also means brown. That said, while the word “marron” can be used to describe eye color, it is not used in French to describe hair color.

“ J’ai les cheveux courts et noirs.” - “I have short and black hair.” Of course, you can swap this with whatever color or length your hair may be: “bruns” (brown), “chatains” (light-brown), “blonds” (blond), “roux” (dark red) for the color, or “longs” (long), or “mi-longs” (mid-length).

“ J’ai une longue barbe avec la tête rasée." - “I have a long beard and a shaved head.” This style is growing in popularity, so knowing how to say this can help not only to describe yourself, but also help you achieve this specific look if you are looking to change up your style.

“ Je suis petite avec les cheveux frisés." - “I am short with curly hair.” In French, the word “petite” (“small”) refers specifically to height, while in English it tends to be used when referring to someone short and skinny. In French, a “petite” person does not necessarily mean they have a small waist.

“ J’ai une carrure athlétique avec des tatouages sur mes bras.” - “I have an athletic build with tattoos on my arms.” As with the English term “build,” the French word “carrure” refers to someone’s overall body type. It is used more often to refer to an athletic build than anything else.

These phrases are only a starting point into your journey to learn how to talk about yourself in French. But as you acquire more extensive and complex vocabulary, you will be able to better formulate these phrases according to your personal features, whether they are physical, mental, or in terms of lifestyle.

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Common French phrases: talking about yourself

If you’re learning French, being able to talk about yourself is a great way to start practicing the language.

In this lesson, we’ll go over some common French phrases for talking about yourself.

Je m’appelle ____ . (My name is ____.) This phrase is used to introduce yourself.

J’ai ____ ans. (I am ____ years old.) This phrase is used to express your age.

Je viens de ____ . (I am from ____.) This phrase is used to indicate where you come from.

Je suis étudiant(e). (I am a student.) This phrase is used to indicate your occupation or current status.

J’aime _____. (I like _____.) This phrase is used to express your interests or hobbies.

Je parle _____. (I speak _____.) This phrase is used to indicate the languages you speak.

J’ai ____ frères et sœurs. (I have ____ brothers and sisters.) This phrase is used to indicate the number of siblings you have.

Je suis célibataire. (I am single.) This phrase is used to express your relationship status.

Mon anniversaire est le ____. (My birthday is on ____.) This phrase is used to express your birthday.

Je suis né(e) en ____. (I was born in ____.) This phrase is used to indicate your birthplace.

Learning these common French phrases can help you introduce yourself and communicate with others.

Additionally, it’s helpful to learn some basic French vocabulary related to personal information, such as family members, occupations, and hobbies.

With practice and persistence, you’ll soon be able to speak confidently about yourself in French.

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How to Introduce Yourself in a French Essay: A Comprehensive Guide

by James Short
October 7, 2023

Writing a French essay about yourself can be a challenging task, especially if you’re not familiar with the language. But fear not! In this blog post, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write yourself in a French essay. Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate learner, this guide will help you express yourself in French confidently.

We’ll cover everything from introductions to self-introductions, chapter research introductions, sales pitches, and seminar introductions. You’ll learn how to start a chapter 1 research introduction, how to sell yourself in 2 minutes, and much more. So, if you’re ready to embark on this language-learning adventure, let’s get started!

Keywords: How do you start a chapter 1 Research introduction?, How do I write myself in French essay?, How can I introduce myself in self-introduction?, Does introduction count as a chapter?, How do I sell myself in 2 minutes?, How can I introduce myself in seminar?

How to Express Myself in French Essay?

Making a stunning first impression with french essays.

Ready to tackle the challenge of writing about yourself in French? Bien sûr! If you’re wondering how to compose an essay that showcases your personality and language skills, look no further. In this guide, we’ll navigate the treacherous waters of self-expression en français. So grab your beret and let’s dive in!

Bonjour! It’s Time for a French Introduction

Greet your readers with a captivating introduction that sets the tone for the rest of your essay. Begin by stating your name, age, and where you’re from. For example, “ Bonjour! Je m’appelle Marie, j’ai vingt-cinq ans, et je viens des États-Unis .”

Share Your Hobbies and Interests: C’est Passionnant!

Next, it’s time to showcase your interests and hobbies. From eating escargots to watching French films, give your readers a taste of what makes you unique. “ J’adore cuisiner des plats français, dévorer des croissants et déguster du fromage… beaucoup de fromage! Quand je ne suis pas en train de me régaler, je me prélasser dans les cafés parisiens en écrivant de la poésie. “

Talk About Your Education: Je Suis Intelligent, Vous Savez

Now, let’s discuss your educational background . Impress the reader with your intellectual prowess! “ J’ai étudié la littérature française à l’université XYZ, où j’ai plongé dans les classiques tels que ‘Les Misérables’ et ‘Madame Bovary’. J’ai également assisté à des cours de grammaire avancée, car j’adore me torturer avec les subtilités de la langue française. “

Describe Your Career Aspirations: Je Vais Conquérir le Monde!

No French essay about yourself would be complete without mentioning your career ambitions. Dream big and inspire your readers with your plans for world domination! “ Mon objectif ultime est de devenir un écrivain célèbre qui émerveillera le monde avec mes mots. Je compte écrire des romans captivants dans la langue de Molière et conquérir les cœurs des lecteurs du monde entier. “

Highlight Your Travel Adventures: Je Suis un Voyageur Intrépide!

If you’ve had the pleasure of exploring the beautiful cities of France, share your travel experiences. “ J’ai parcouru les rues pavées de Paris, flâné le long de la Côte d’Azur et admiré les magnifiques châteaux de la Vallée de la Loire. Chaque coin de la France m’a enchanté, et je ne peux pas attendre pour retourner et explorer encore plus. “

Conclusion: Merci d’avoir Lu!

Voilà! You’re now equipped to craft an impressive essay about yourself in French. Remember to incorporate your personality, interests, education, career aspirations, and travel experiences to create a compelling narrative . Finish strong, thank your readers, and leave them eagerly wanting to know more. Bonne chance!

Note: The blog post was generated by OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model.

FAQ: How to Write About Myself in a French Essay?

How to Start a Research Introduction in Chapter 1?
How to Express Myself in a French Essay?
The Art of Introducing Myself: Tips for Self-Introduction
Does the Introduction Count as a Chapter?
The 2-Minute Sales Pitch: Selling Myself with Style
Impressing Everyone at Seminars: Mastering the Self-Introduction

1. How to Start a Research Introduction in Chapter 1

Starting a research introduction can be as intimidating as untangling headphone wires, but fear not! Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to get you on the right track:

Step 1: Grab Their Attention Begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a shocking fact. Remember, you want to hook your readers like a fisherman snagging a giant marlin!

Step 2: Provide Context Next, give a brief background about the topic you’re about to delve into. Think of it as setting the stage for a captivating play – without the pesky stagehands.

Step 3: Identify the Problem Clearly state the research problem you’re aiming to solve. Picture yourself as Sherlock Holmes uncovering a mystery, except replace the magnifying glass with your trusty pen!

Step 4: State Your Objective Let your readers know what you hope to achieve with your research. It’s like telling them you’ll be their travel guide through a scholarly adventure!

Step 5: Outline Your Approach Briefly explain the methodology you’ll be using, but keep it concise. Think like an artist outlining their brushstrokes before creating a masterpiece!

2. How to Express Myself in a French Essay

Ah, the joys of expressing oneself in a foreign language! Here are some elegant ways to introduce yourself in a French essay:

Bonjour! Comment ça va? Start with a friendly “Bonjour!” followed by the classic greeting, “Comment ça va?” It’s as charming as a croissant from a Parisian bakery!

Je me présente… Meaning “Let me introduce myself,” this phrase is your golden ticket to self-introduction in French. Sprinkle it into your essay like a dash of perfume, and voilà!

Parlons un peu de moi… If you’re feeling bold, add this phrase to your essay. It means “Let’s talk a little about me.” It’s like a sparkling glass of champagne in a room full of wine enthusiasts!

3. The Art of Introducing Myself: Tips for Self-Introduction

Introducing oneself can feel as nerve-wracking as a tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon. But worry not! Here are some tips to conquer those self-introduction jitters:

Keep it Brief and Engaging Like a good Tinder bio, keep your self-introduction short, sweet, and captivating. Save the lengthy monologues for the next talking head documentary!

Show Your Personality Don’t be afraid to sprinkle your self-introduction with a touch of humor or a sprinkle of quirkiness. Think of it as adding a pinch of salt to a gourmet meal – it enhances the flavor!

Highlight Achievements Impress your audience with your accomplishments, but remember, humility is key! Nobody likes a braggart, except maybe their mom (bless her heart).

4. Does the Introduction Count as a Chapter

Ah, the eternal question that has confused many a student. But fear not, dear writer, for we shall uncover the truth! The introduction is like the tantalizing prelude to the main event, but it’s not a chapter itself. Think of it as the opening act that sets the stage for your brilliance!

5. The 2-Minute Sales Pitch: Selling Myself with Style

Imagine having only two minutes to convince someone you’re the next Einstein or Beyoncé. Daunting, right? Here are some tips to help you sell yourself like a charming snake oil salesman:

Know Your Audience Tailor your two-minute pitch to the specific desires and needs of your audience. Picture yourself as a magician, knowing just what tricks will make their jaws drop!

Highlight Your Unique Selling Points Think of the qualities that differentiate you from the average Joe or Jane. It could be your brilliant mind, exceptional talent, or infectious charisma. You’re a shiny diamond in a sea of cubic zirconia!

Craft a Compelling Narrative Weave your achievements and experiences into a captivating story. Think of yourself as the protagonist overcoming obstacles, with success as the grand finale!

6. Impressing Everyone at Seminars: Mastering the Self-Introduction

Seminars can sometimes feel like a cocktail party with scholars. Here’s how to make a stylish entrance and leave them begging for more:

Start with a Bang Grab their attention right off the bat, like fireworks bursting across a starry night sky. Pose a thought-provoking question or share a fascinating anecdote. They’ll be captivated in no time!

Highlight Your Expertise Share your vast knowledge and experience without sounding like that one annoying know-it-all at parties. You want to be the elegant swan gliding across a pond, not the squawking parrot annoying everyone!

Engage with the Audience Make eye contact, use gestures, and sprinkle in a dash of humor. You’re not giving a eulogy – it’s a lively conversation with a room full of eager minds!

So there you have it, my budding French essayists! With these tips and tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be writing about yourself like a suave Parisian poet in no time. Happy writing, and may your words flow as smoothly as the Seine!

career aspirations
chapter research introductions
french essay
introductions
quand je ne suis pas
sales pitches
self-introductions
seminar introductions
step-by-step guide
travel experiences

James Short

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The Case for Marrying an Older Man

A woman’s life is all work and little rest. An age gap relationship can help.

In the summer, in the south of France, my husband and I like to play, rather badly, the lottery. We take long, scorching walks to the village — gratuitous beauty, gratuitous heat — kicking up dust and languid debates over how we’d spend such an influx. I purchase scratch-offs, jackpot tickets, scraping the former with euro coins in restaurants too fine for that. I never cash them in, nor do I check the winning numbers. For I already won something like the lotto, with its gifts and its curses, when he married me.

He is ten years older than I am. I chose him on purpose, not by chance. As far as life decisions go, on balance, I recommend it.

When I was 20 and a junior at Harvard College, a series of great ironies began to mock me. I could study all I wanted, prove myself as exceptional as I liked, and still my fiercest advantage remained so universal it deflated my other plans. My youth. The newness of my face and body. Compellingly effortless; cruelly fleeting. I shared it with the average, idle young woman shrugging down the street. The thought, when it descended on me, jolted my perspective, the way a falling leaf can make you look up: I could diligently craft an ideal existence, over years and years of sleepless nights and industry. Or I could just marry it early.

So naturally I began to lug a heavy suitcase of books each Saturday to the Harvard Business School to work on my Nabokov paper. In one cavernous, well-appointed room sat approximately 50 of the planet’s most suitable bachelors. I had high breasts, most of my eggs, plausible deniability when it came to purity, a flush ponytail, a pep in my step that had yet to run out. Apologies to Progress, but older men still desired those things.

I could not understand why my female classmates did not join me, given their intelligence. Each time I reconsidered the project, it struck me as more reasonable. Why ignore our youth when it amounted to a superpower? Why assume the burdens of womanhood, its too-quick-to-vanish upper hand, but not its brief benefits at least? Perhaps it came easier to avoid the topic wholesale than to accept that women really do have a tragically short window of power, and reason enough to take advantage of that fact while they can. As for me, I liked history, Victorian novels, knew of imminent female pitfalls from all the books I’d read: vampiric boyfriends; labor, at the office and in the hospital, expected simultaneously; a decline in status as we aged, like a looming eclipse. I’d have disliked being called calculating, but I had, like all women, a calculator in my head. I thought it silly to ignore its answers when they pointed to an unfairness for which we really ought to have been preparing.

I was competitive by nature, an English-literature student with all the corresponding major ambitions and minor prospects (Great American novel; email job). A little Bovarist , frantic for new places and ideas; to travel here, to travel there, to be in the room where things happened. I resented the callow boys in my class, who lusted after a particular, socially sanctioned type on campus: thin and sexless, emotionally detached and socially connected, the opposite of me. Restless one Saturday night, I slipped on a red dress and snuck into a graduate-school event, coiling an HDMI cord around my wrist as proof of some technical duty. I danced. I drank for free, until one of the organizers asked me to leave. I called and climbed into an Uber. Then I promptly climbed out of it. For there he was, emerging from the revolving doors. Brown eyes, curved lips, immaculate jacket. I went to him, asked him for a cigarette. A date, days later. A second one, where I discovered he was a person, potentially my favorite kind: funny, clear-eyed, brilliant, on intimate terms with the universe.

I used to love men like men love women — that is, not very well, and with a hunger driven only by my own inadequacies. Not him. In those early days, I spoke fondly of my family, stocked the fridge with his favorite pasta, folded his clothes more neatly than I ever have since. I wrote his mother a thank-you note for hosting me in his native France, something befitting a daughter-in-law. It worked; I meant it. After graduation and my fellowship at Oxford, I stayed in Europe for his career and married him at 23.

Of course I just fell in love. Romances have a setting; I had only intervened to place myself well. Mainly, I spotted the precise trouble of being a woman ahead of time, tried to surf it instead of letting it drown me on principle. I had grown bored of discussions of fair and unfair, equal or unequal , and preferred instead to consider a thing called ease.

The reception of a particular age-gap relationship depends on its obviousness. The greater and more visible the difference in years and status between a man and a woman, the more it strikes others as transactional. Transactional thinking in relationships is both as American as it gets and the least kosher subject in the American romantic lexicon. When a 50-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman walk down the street, the questions form themselves inside of you; they make you feel cynical and obscene: How good of a deal is that? Which party is getting the better one? Would I take it? He is older. Income rises with age, so we assume he has money, at least relative to her; at minimum, more connections and experience. She has supple skin. Energy. Sex. Maybe she gets a Birkin. Maybe he gets a baby long after his prime. The sight of their entwined hands throws a lucid light on the calculations each of us makes, in love, to varying degrees of denial. You could get married in the most romantic place in the world, like I did, and you would still have to sign a contract.

Twenty and 30 is not like 30 and 40; some freshness to my features back then, some clumsiness in my bearing, warped our decade, in the eyes of others, to an uncrossable gulf. Perhaps this explains the anger we felt directed at us at the start of our relationship. People seemed to take us very, very personally. I recall a hellish car ride with a friend of his who began to castigate me in the backseat, in tones so low that only I could hear him. He told me, You wanted a rich boyfriend. You chased and snuck into parties . He spared me the insult of gold digger, but he drew, with other words, the outline for it. Most offended were the single older women, my husband’s classmates. They discussed me in the bathroom at parties when I was in the stall. What does he see in her? What do they talk about? They were concerned about me. They wielded their concern like a bludgeon. They paraphrased without meaning to my favorite line from Nabokov’s Lolita : “You took advantage of my disadvantage,” suspecting me of some weakness he in turn mined. It did not disturb them, so much, to consider that all relationships were trades. The trouble was the trade I’d made struck them as a bad one.

The truth is you can fall in love with someone for all sorts of reasons, tiny transactions, pluses and minuses, whose sum is your affection for each other, your loyalty, your commitment. The way someone picks up your favorite croissant. Their habit of listening hard. What they do for you on your anniversary and your reciprocal gesture, wrapped thoughtfully. The serenity they inspire; your happiness, enlivening it. When someone says they feel unappreciated, what they really mean is you’re in debt to them.

When I think of same-age, same-stage relationships, what I tend to picture is a woman who is doing too much for too little.

I’m 27 now, and most women my age have “partners.” These days, girls become partners quite young. A partner is supposed to be a modern answer to the oppression of marriage, the terrible feeling of someone looming over you, head of a household to which you can only ever be the neck. Necks are vulnerable. The problem with a partner, however, is if you’re equal in all things, you compromise in all things. And men are too skilled at taking .

There is a boy out there who knows how to floss because my friend taught him. Now he kisses college girls with fresh breath. A boy married to my friend who doesn’t know how to pack his own suitcase. She “likes to do it for him.” A million boys who know how to touch a woman, who go to therapy because they were pushed, who learned fidelity, boundaries, decency, manners, to use a top sheet and act humanely beneath it, to call their mothers, match colors, bring flowers to a funeral and inhale, exhale in the face of rage, because some girl, some girl we know, some girl they probably don’t speak to and will never, ever credit, took the time to teach him. All while she was working, raising herself, clawing up the cliff-face of adulthood. Hauling him at her own expense.

I find a post on Reddit where five thousand men try to define “ a woman’s touch .” They describe raised flower beds, blankets, photographs of their loved ones, not hers, sprouting on the mantel overnight. Candles, coasters, side tables. Someone remembering to take lint out of the dryer. To give compliments. I wonder what these women are getting back. I imagine them like Cinderella’s mice, scurrying around, their sole proof of life their contributions to a more central character. On occasion I meet a nice couple, who grew up together. They know each other with a fraternalism tender and alien to me. But I think of all my friends who failed at this, were failed at this, and I think, No, absolutely not, too risky . Riskier, sometimes, than an age gap.

My younger brother is in his early 20s, handsome, successful, but in many ways: an endearing disaster. By his age, I had long since wisened up. He leaves his clothes in the dryer, takes out a single shirt, steams it for three minutes. His towel on the floor, for someone else to retrieve. His lovely, same-age girlfriend is aching to fix these tendencies, among others. She is capable beyond words. Statistically, they will not end up together. He moved into his first place recently, and she, the girlfriend, supplied him with a long, detailed list of things he needed for his apartment: sheets, towels, hangers, a colander, which made me laugh. She picked out his couch. I will bet you anything she will fix his laundry habits, and if so, they will impress the next girl. If they break up, she will never see that couch again, and he will forget its story. I tell her when I visit because I like her, though I get in trouble for it: You shouldn’t do so much for him, not for someone who is not stuck with you, not for any boy, not even for my wonderful brother.

Too much work had left my husband, by 30, jaded and uninspired. He’d burned out — but I could reenchant things. I danced at restaurants when they played a song I liked. I turned grocery shopping into an adventure, pleased by what I provided. Ambitious, hungry, he needed someone smart enough to sustain his interest, but flexible enough in her habits to build them around his hours. I could. I do: read myself occupied, make myself free, materialize beside him when he calls for me. In exchange, I left a lucrative but deadening spreadsheet job to write full-time, without having to live like a writer. I learned to cook, a little, and decorate, somewhat poorly. Mostly I get to read, to walk central London and Miami and think in delicious circles, to work hard, when necessary, for free, and write stories for far less than minimum wage when I tally all the hours I take to write them.

At 20, I had felt daunted by the project of becoming my ideal self, couldn’t imagine doing it in tandem with someone, two raw lumps of clay trying to mold one another and only sullying things worse. I’d go on dates with boys my age and leave with the impression they were telling me not about themselves but some person who didn’t exist yet and on whom I was meant to bet regardless. My husband struck me instead as so finished, formed. Analyzable for compatibility. He bore the traces of other women who’d improved him, small but crucial basics like use a coaster ; listen, don’t give advice. Young egos mellow into patience and generosity.

My husband isn’t my partner. He’s my mentor, my lover, and, only in certain contexts, my friend. I’ll never forget it, how he showed me around our first place like he was introducing me to myself: This is the wine you’ll drink, where you’ll keep your clothes, we vacation here, this is the other language we’ll speak, you’ll learn it, and I did. Adulthood seemed a series of exhausting obligations. But his logistics ran so smoothly that he simply tacked mine on. I moved into his flat, onto his level, drag and drop, cleaner thrice a week, bills automatic. By opting out of partnership in my 20s, I granted myself a kind of compartmentalized, liberating selfishness none of my friends have managed. I am the work in progress, the party we worry about, a surprising dominance. When I searched for my first job, at 21, we combined our efforts, for my sake. He had wisdom to impart, contacts with whom he arranged coffees; we spent an afternoon, laughing, drawing up earnest lists of my pros and cons (highly sociable; sloppy math). Meanwhile, I took calls from a dear friend who had a boyfriend her age. Both savagely ambitious, hyperclose and entwined in each other’s projects. If each was a start-up , the other was the first hire, an intense dedication I found riveting. Yet every time she called me, I hung up with the distinct feeling that too much was happening at the same time: both learning to please a boss; to forge more adult relationships with their families; to pay bills and taxes and hang prints on the wall. Neither had any advice to give and certainly no stability. I pictured a three-legged race, two people tied together and hobbling toward every milestone.

I don’t fool myself. My marriage has its cons. There are only so many times one can say “thank you” — for splendid scenes, fine dinners — before the phrase starts to grate. I live in an apartment whose rent he pays and that shapes the freedom with which I can ever be angry with him. He doesn’t have to hold it over my head. It just floats there, complicating usual shorthands to explain dissatisfaction like, You aren’t being supportive lately . It’s a Frenchism to say, “Take a decision,” and from time to time I joke: from whom? Occasionally I find myself in some fabulous country at some fabulous party and I think what a long way I have traveled, like a lucky cloud, and it is frightening to think of oneself as vapor.

Mostly I worry that if he ever betrayed me and I had to move on, I would survive, but would find in my humor, preferences, the way I make coffee or the bed nothing that he did not teach, change, mold, recompose, stamp with his initials, the way Renaissance painters hid in their paintings their faces among a crowd. I wonder if when they looked at their paintings, they saw their own faces first. But this is the wrong question, if our aim is happiness. Like the other question on which I’m expected to dwell: Who is in charge, the man who drives or the woman who put him there so she could enjoy herself? I sit in the car, in the painting it would have taken me a corporate job and 20 years to paint alone, and my concern over who has the upper hand becomes as distant as the horizon, the one he and I made so wide for me.

To be a woman is to race against the clock, in several ways, until there is nothing left to be but run ragged.

We try to put it off, but it will hit us at some point: that we live in a world in which our power has a different shape from that of men, a different distribution of advantage, ours a funnel and theirs an expanding cone. A woman at 20 rarely has to earn her welcome; a boy at 20 will be turned away at the door. A woman at 30 may find a younger woman has taken her seat; a man at 30 will have invited her. I think back to the women in the bathroom, my husband’s classmates. What was my relationship if not an inconvertible sign of this unfairness? What was I doing, in marrying older, if not endorsing it? I had taken advantage of their disadvantage. I had preempted my own. After all, principled women are meant to defy unfairness, to show some integrity or denial, not plan around it, like I had. These were driven women, successful, beautiful, capable. I merely possessed the one thing they had already lost. In getting ahead of the problem, had I pushed them down? If I hadn’t, would it really have made any difference?

When we decided we wanted to be equal to men, we got on men’s time. We worked when they worked, retired when they retired, had to squeeze pregnancy, children, menopause somewhere impossibly in the margins. I have a friend, in her late 20s, who wears a mood ring; these days it is often red, flickering in the air like a siren when she explains her predicament to me. She has raised her fair share of same-age boyfriends. She has put her head down, worked laboriously alongside them, too. At last she is beginning to reap the dividends, earning the income to finally enjoy herself. But it is now, exactly at this precipice of freedom and pleasure, that a time problem comes closing in. If she would like to have children before 35, she must begin her next profession, motherhood, rather soon, compromising inevitably her original one. The same-age partner, equally unsettled in his career, will take only the minimum time off, she guesses, or else pay some cost which will come back to bite her. Everything unfailingly does. If she freezes her eggs to buy time, the decision and its logistics will burden her singly — and perhaps it will not work. Overlay the years a woman is supposed to establish herself in her career and her fertility window and it’s a perfect, miserable circle. By midlife women report feeling invisible, undervalued; it is a telling cliché, that after all this, some husbands leave for a younger girl. So when is her time, exactly? For leisure, ease, liberty? There is no brand of feminism which achieved female rest. If women’s problem in the ’50s was a paralyzing malaise, now it is that they are too active, too capable, never permitted a vacation they didn’t plan. It’s not that our efforts to have it all were fated for failure. They simply weren’t imaginative enough.

For me, my relationship, with its age gap, has alleviated this rush , permitted me to massage the clock, shift its hands to my benefit. Very soon, we will decide to have children, and I don’t panic over last gasps of fun, because I took so many big breaths of it early: on the holidays of someone who had worked a decade longer than I had, in beautiful places when I was young and beautiful, a symmetry I recommend. If such a thing as maternal energy exists, mine was never depleted. I spent the last nearly seven years supported more than I support and I am still not as old as my husband was when he met me. When I have a child, I will expect more help from him than I would if he were younger, for what does professional tenure earn you if not the right to set more limits on work demands — or, if not, to secure some child care, at the very least? When I return to work after maternal upheaval, he will aid me, as he’s always had, with his ability to put himself aside, as younger men are rarely able.

Above all, the great gift of my marriage is flexibility. A chance to live my life before I become responsible for someone else’s — a lover’s, or a child’s. A chance to write. A chance at a destiny that doesn’t adhere rigidly to the routines and timelines of men, but lends itself instead to roomy accommodation, to the very fluidity Betty Friedan dreamed of in 1963 in The Feminine Mystique , but we’ve largely forgotten: some career or style of life that “permits year-to-year variation — a full-time paid job in one community, part-time in another, exercise of the professional skill in serious volunteer work or a period of study during pregnancy or early motherhood when a full-time job is not feasible.” Some things are just not feasible in our current structures. Somewhere along the way we stopped admitting that, and all we did was make women feel like personal failures. I dream of new structures, a world in which women have entry-level jobs in their 30s; alternate avenues for promotion; corporate ladders with balconies on which they can stand still, have a smoke, take a break, make a baby, enjoy themselves, before they keep climbing. Perhaps men long for this in their own way. Actually I am sure of that.

Once, when we first fell in love, I put my head in his lap on a long car ride; I remember his hands on my face, the sun, the twisting turns of a mountain road, surprising and not surprising us like our romance, and his voice, telling me that it was his biggest regret that I was so young, he feared he would lose me. Last week, we looked back at old photos and agreed we’d given each other our respective best years. Sometimes real equality is not so obvious, sometimes it takes turns, sometimes it takes almost a decade to reveal itself.

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Guest Essay

When It Comes to Politics, Are Any of Us Really Thinking for Ourselves?

An illustration of sheep, some red, some blue, lining up to vote at a ballot box.

By Neil Gross

Dr. Gross is a professor of sociology at Colby College who studies the social aspects of intellectual life.

If you’re trying to guess whether people are Republicans or Democrats, knowing a few basic facts about them will take you a long way. What’s their race and gender? How far did they get in school? What part of the country do they live in and is their community urban, suburban or rural?

Between 2016 and 2020, for example, white Americans without college degrees favored the Republican Party by nearly 24 percentage points. Strike up a conversation about politics with such a person in rural central Maine, near where I live, and chances are that his or her sympathies will lie with the G.O.P.

Or consider gender and attitudes about crime and public safety: Men are about 10 percentage points more supportive than women of the death penalty and 10 percentage points less supportive of gun control. Or how about ethnicity and views on illegal immigration? Relative to Latino Americans, non-Latinos endorse “increasing deportation” as a partial solution by a 22-point margin.

Although there are certainly people whose politics defy generalization, the underlying demographic tendencies are powerful predictors of belief — powerful enough that elections have become as much a turnout game as an exercise in persuasion.

But this raises an important question. If our political views and behavior can be so easily predicted by characteristics like race (over which we have no control) or by factors like education (where our choices may be highly constrained by other things such as the social class of our parents), then when it comes to politics, are any of us really thinking for ourselves?

The accusation that people on the other side of the political divide have abandoned critical thinking and moral reasoning is now commonplace in American political discourse. Many on the left interpret the political tendencies of white voters without college educations as evidence that the Republican Party’s core constituency is ill informed or even unintelligent. Who else could fall for the lies of Donald Trump? Republicans, for their part, regularly invoke the idea of “liberal groupthink,” using it to make sense of how some of America’s ostensibly brightest minds could champion simplistic, unworkable policies like defunding the police.

These accusations form part of the broader phenomenon of partisan stereotyping, which has flourished as the country has pulled apart. Alongside the charge that those in the opposite political camp don’t think for themselves, Democrats in 2022 were considerably more likely than they were in 2016 to say that Republicans were closed-minded, dishonest and immoral. Republicans felt pretty much the same way about Democrats.

Yet the possibility that our own political views may reflect something other than our intellectual or moral virtue barely seems to register. College-educated professionals too seldom acknowledge, for example, that they may feel an affinity for the Democrats in part because the party has been more supportive than Republicans of both higher education and claims to expertise (and remuneration) based on educational credentials. Instead they recast their class interests as altruism, imagining that they believe what they do solely out of concern for the future of the country.

Similarly, when evangelical Christians back Mr. Trump because they expect him to appoint more pro-Christian judges to the federal bench and enact educational policies favorable to religious schools, they view themselves as patriots, not maximizers of their group’s standing. None of us want to admit that our most cherished political opinions may be largely a function of our position in society and the associated social pressures, not the end result of a process of intellectual, moral or spiritual inquiry.

There are many situations, of course, in which it is permissible, even beneficial, for people not to think for themselves . Whatever cognitive losses accrue when we let our phones navigate for us in unfamiliar cities are probably offset by the gains in driving safety and efficiency. When we fall ill and trust a doctor to give us a diagnosis and tell us how to regain our health, we’re letting that doctor (and the broader medical system) think for us, to some extent. Our outcomes will be far better on average than if we acted from our lay knowledge, as higher death rates among Covid vaccine deniers attest.

On most political matters, however, it is an abdication of personal responsibility to allow our opinions to be unreflectively determined by our social position. It may be inevitable that our group identities, interests and experiences shape our political inclinations. But it’s up to each of us to scrutinize the beliefs we’ve absorbed from our social milieu to ensure that our values and political commitments are what we truly think they should be — that our beliefs are based on sound reasons rather than brute social forces.

Regrettably, a hyperpartisan society does little to reward such independence of thought, even as both progressives and conservatives claim its mantle.

If nothing else, reflecting on the social roots of your political opinions and behavior should prompt some humility. Even if you hold the “correct” political beliefs, you may not deserve to congratulate yourself for them; your moral righteousness could be an accident of birth or a product of good social fortune. So on what grounds are you permitted to feel snidely superior to your peers who — simply because of their different life circumstances — wound up on the other side of the political aisle?

This doesn’t imply moral relativism, but it does suggest that we should take greater care when assigning praise or blame. The contingency of our own positions also raises the distinct possibility that others’ opinions contain overlooked elements of truth.

By all means, let’s duke it out in the public sphere and at the ballot box. You’ll fight for your interests and values, I’ll fight for mine. That’s democracy in a big, diverse, boisterous nation. But if we could bear in mind that we sometimes stumble into our most passionately held beliefs, the tenor of our discourse might be a bit saner and more cordial. The fact that we are all deeply social creatures, in politics and otherwise, underscores our shared humanity — something that we would be wise to never lose sight of.

Neil Gross is a professor of sociology at Colby College, a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and the author, most recently, of “Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

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How to Describe Yourself in French: 9 Steps (with Pictures)
4. Describe your overall physique. The words to describe beauty are "beau" (bo) for men or "belle" (bell) for women. Use the construction "Je suis" (zhe swee) followed by the adjective. "Je suis belle" means "I am beautiful" if you are a woman. "Fort" (for) means strong, while "faible" (febl) means weak.
How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away ...
1. Text Summary (Synthèse de texte) The text summary or synthèse de texte is one of the easiest French writing exercises to get a handle on. It essentially involves reading a text and then summarizing it in an established number of words, while repeating no phrases that are in the original text.
Talking about yourself in French
5 sentences to talk about yourself in French. Ok so we are going to learn how to describe yourself (your tastes, your goals,…). Keep in mind, the sentences below are made to be easily customisable. In the video, I go in more details about how to customise them (what verb to use, what forms, in what order,..). AND, I gave you examples.
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To truly immerse yourself in the French language, observe and mimic the sentence structures used by native speakers. Analyzing essays written by experienced writers can prove invaluable in grasping the authentic style required to compose a captivating essay. 3. Use Transition Words: Crafting a Smooth Flow of Ideas
How to talk about yourself in French
French speakers often use " je suis quelqu'un (de, qui) " when talking about themselves, referring to themselves in the third person. For example, you may talk about yourself saying : "Je suis quelqu'un de très patient" (I'm a very patient person) 00:00. 00:00.
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The first paragraph of your French essay should briefly introduce the topic and engage the reader. Here are some examples to help you write your essay: In recent years, the [topic] has become a hotly debated issue, with [brief outline of arguments]. The [subject] has been the subject of controversy for several decades, with [brief overview of ...
Talking About Yourself In French: French Words and ...
1. Read these words & expressions aloud. 2. Find a language exchange partner and practice with him/her. 3. Write about yourself. 4. Join our Facebook group the French Talk to take part to our writing exercise.
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1. L'explication de texte. An explication de texte is a type of essay for which you complete a close reading. It is usually written about a poem or a short passage within a larger work. This close reading will elucidate different themes and stylistic devices within the text. When you are completing an explication de texte, make sure to follow ...
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1) Bonjour, enchanté (e) de faire votre connaissance. "Hello" and "Nice to meet you" are must-know phrases. Any introduction will probably will start with these words. Hello, it's nice to meet you. Bonjour, enchanté (e) de faire votre connaissance. Listen: You should also listen and hear real French - Press play below.
Introduce yourself in French (+Mp3) with these 10 examples
Introduce yourself in French (+Mp3) with these 10 examples
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4. Homework. Write about yourself following the structure of the dialogue in this lesson. You need to include: what your name is and how old you are. where you live (city, country) what kind of work you do and where you work. what you like doing. what foreign languages you speak.
Self Introduction in French: Learn to Introduce Yourself in French
Now, let's explore this structure through five examples of short self-introductions in French. Self-Introduction Example 1: Formal Business Setting. French: "Bonjour, je m'appelle Marie. J'ai trente ans. Je viens de Paris. Je suis avocate. J'aime lire et voyager.". English: "Hello, my name is Marie. I am thirty years old.
30 Useful French Essay Phrases and Transition Words in French
30 Useful French Essay Phrases and Transition Words in French
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These phrases will help you learn to talk about your physical features in French. "Je suis grand, mince, et j'ai les yeux bruns.". - "I am tall, skinny, and have brown eyes.". You could also say "marron, " which also means brown. That said, while the word "marron" can be used to describe eye color, it is not used in French to ...
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Introducing and describing yourself in French. In this lesson, we will learn how to say our name and use some simple vocabulary to describe ourselves. Download all resources. Share activities with pupils. Slide deck.
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If you're learning French, being able to talk about yourself is a great way to start practicing the language. In this lesson, we'll go over some common French phrases for talking about yourself. Je m'appelle ____. (My name is ____.) This phrase is used to introduce yourself. J'ai ____ ans.
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He describes himself by saying 'Je suis grand ,' meaning, 'I am tall.'. His twin sister, Pauline, says, 'Je suis grande .'. In French, adjectives have two forms: masculine and feminine. Robert is ...
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Describing Myself to a Blind Person & French. the taste of cherries mixed with the lightness of whipped cream. I have a smile that lights up my whole face like a thousand lights strung on a towering Christmas tree. All of these things are physical though‚ and the best way that I can describe myself to you is to tell you about my personality.
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Writing a French essay about yourself can be a challenging task, especially if you're not familiar with the language. But fear not! In this blog post, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write yourself in a French essay. Whether you're a beginner or an intermediate learner, this guide will help you express yourself in ...
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I can express myself and communicate in French Je comprends la grammaire. I understand the grammar. Mais en termes d'accent et de vocabulaire, c'est assez difficile. But in terms of accent and vocabulaire, it's quite difficult. Je ne suis pas né dans un pays ou francophone, I wasn't born in a French-speaking country, j'ai passé un peu de ...
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After the initial greetings, you are asked basic information about yourself, and you should know the very basic phrases and words to answer appropriately. Here is a complete guide to introducing yourself in French. Keep reading! Simple French Greetings. In French culture, you always greet other people when meeting them. Here are standard French ...
Presenting Yourself or Someone in French (Les Présentations)
Its very important to exactly know what type of words you have to use when you are Presenting yourself or someone else in french. This tutorials will help you introducing yourself or Someone in French with most common sentences for both masculine and feminine. Presenting the Third Person (Masculine) Presenting the Third Person (Feminine) A ...
An essay about myself in french with paragraphs
An essay about myself in french with paragraphs - 19397211. Samariagomez9511 Samariagomez9511 11.07.2020 French Secondary School answered An essay about myself in french with paragraphs See answer Advertisement Advertisement anushaBBPS anushaBBPS
Age Gap Relationships: The Case for Marrying an Older Man
The reception of a particular age-gap relationship depends on its obviousness. The greater and more visible the difference in years and status between a man and a woman, the more it strikes others as transactional. Transactional thinking in relationships is both as American as it gets and the least kosher subject in the American romantic lexicon.
Opinion
Even if you hold the "correct" political beliefs, you may not deserve to congratulate yourself for them; your moral righteousness could be an accident of birth or a product of good social fortune.

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How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away as a Foreigner

1. Mastering French Grammar and Vocabulary: Building a Strong Foundation

2. Mimic Sentence Structures: The Art of Authentic Expression

3. Use Transition Words: Crafting a Smooth Flow of Ideas

4. Embrace French Idioms and Expressions: Unveiling Cultural Fluency

5. Pay Attention to Formality: Striking the Right Tone

6. Research Cultural References: The Power of In-depth Knowledge

7. Avoid Direct Translations: Let French Be French

8. Practice Writing Regularly: The Path to Proficiency

9. Read French Literature: A Gateway to Inspiration

10. Connect with French Culture: Bridges of Cultural Resonance

11. Use a French Thesaurus: Expanding Your Linguistic Palette

12. Master French Punctuation: The Finishing Touch

13. Practice French Rhetorical Devices: Crafting Eloquent Prose

14. Pay Attention to Word Order: Unlocking French Sentence Structure

15. Use French Idiomatic Expressions: Infuse Cultural Flair

16. Master Pronouns and Agreement: The Dance of Language

17. Understand Subtle Connotations: Unveiling Linguistic Shades

18. Study Formal and Informal Registers: Tailoring Language to Purpose

19. Practice Dialogue Writing: Conversing with Eloquence

20. Seek Feedback: A Second Set of Eyes

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