How to talk about your weekend in French
Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
“On Saturday I went to the market, and then I saw some friends.”
When: Answering what you did at the weekend
The moment
It is Monday morning and a French colleague catches you at the coffee machine and asks about your weekend. You tell them two or three things you did, hand the question back, and react to their answer.
A2 · Unit 4 · Small talk & stories
The lines
Two events, one sentence
Aller takes être in the past, so it is 'je suis allé' (add an -e if you are female), while voir takes avoir. Hook the second event on with 'et après': 'Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.'
Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
“On Saturday I went to the market, and then I saw some friends.”
When to use it: Answering what you did at the weekend
What you’ll hear back: Ah oui ? Vous avez acheté quoi au marché ? (Oh yeah? What did you buy at the market?)
Handing the question back
Spoken French parks the question word at the end: 'vous avez fait quoi', not the stiff 'qu'avez-vous fait'. Adding 'de beau' turns it into a warm invitation to tell a story.
Et vous, vous avez fait quoi de beau ce week-end ?
“And you, did you do anything nice this weekend?”
When to use it: Right after telling your own weekend
What you’ll hear back: Je suis allé voir ma famille en Normandie. (I went to see my family in Normandy.)
Words for this scene
| French | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| C'était comment ? | say-TEH koh-MAHN | What was it like? |
Vous êtes allés à Lyon ce week-end ? C'était comment ? You went to Lyon this weekend? What was it like? Tip: Asks for a story, not a yes; the French follow-up of choice. | ||
| Rien de spécial. | ryan duh spay-SYAL | Nothing special. |
Rien de spécial, j'ai regardé des séries et j'ai dormi. Nothing special, I watched some series and slept. Tip: Start modest, then add one detail so the chat continues. | ||
| Vous avez de la chance ! | voo-zah-VAY duh lah SHAHNSS | Lucky you! |
Trois jours à Nice ? Vous avez de la chance ! Three days in Nice? Lucky you! Tip: Warmer than a flat super when their weekend beats yours. | ||
Your objective
Tell them two things you did at the weekend; when they ask about one, give a detail, then ask about their weekend and react.
- two things you did
- a detail when they ask more
- a question about their weekend
Lines that get it done
- Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
- Et vous, vous avez fait quoi de beau ce week-end ?
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You went to the market and afterwards saw some friends. Which sentence is correct?
- Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
- Samedi, j'ai allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
- Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, je suis vu des amis.
- Samedi, je vais au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
Show the answer
Samedi, je suis allé au marché et après, j'ai vu des amis.
Aller takes être in the past while voir takes avoir, so je suis allé but j'ai vu.
2. How do you ask a colleague what they got up to last weekend?
- Et vous, vous avez fait quoi de beau ce week-end ?
- Et vous, vous faites quoi de beau ce week-end ?
- Et vous, vous allez faire quoi de beau ce week-end ?
- Et vous, vous avez fait quoi de beau le week-end prochain ?
Show the answer
Et vous, vous avez fait quoi de beau ce week-end ?
Vous avez fait puts the question in the past; the others ask about the weekend to come.
3. A colleague says: 'J'ai vu mes parents samedi, mais dimanche je suis resté à la maison parce qu'il pleuvait.' What happened?
- He saw his parents on Saturday and stayed home Sunday because it was raining.
- He saw his parents on Sunday and went out on Saturday in the rain.
- He stayed home all weekend because his parents were visiting.
- He wanted to see his parents but the rain stopped him.
Show the answer
He saw his parents on Saturday and stayed home Sunday because it was raining.
Mais contrasts the two days and parce qu'il pleuvait gives the reason for staying in.