Les Contes d'Afrique de l'Ouest (West African Tales)

Learning ObjectivesIdentify the main characters and the setting of a simple story.Describe the events at the beginning, middle, and end of a story.Use the passé composé (past tense) [pah-say com-poh-ZAY] with avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR] to talk about past actions.Imagine your grandfather is telling you a story about a very smart bunny 🐰. To understand the story well, you need to know who the main character is, where the story takes place, and what happens at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. That's what we're going to learn how to do!Real-Life ApplicationsKnowing how to analyze a story helps you better understand the books you read 📖.You can follow the movies you watch at the theater more easily 🎬.It's easier to tell your friends what you did over the weekend.

French TermWhat it MeansExampleune histoire (a story) [oon ees-TWAR]What you tell; a tale.J'ai lu une histoire (I read a story) sur un renard (about a fox).un personnage (a character) [uhn pair-soh-NAZH]A person or animal in a story.Le personnage principal (The main character) est un lapin (is a rabbit).un lieu (a place/setting) [uhn LYUH]The place where the story happens.Le lieu de l'histoire (The setting of the story) est une grande forêt (is a big forest).le début (the beginning) [luh day-BEW]The start of the story.Au début (In the beginning), le soleil a brillé (the sun shone).le milieu (the middle) [luh mee-LYUH]The central part of the story.Au milieu de l'histoire (In the middle of the story), il a trouvé un trésor (he found a treasure).la fin (the end) [lah FAN]The conclusion of the...

1. The Past Tense (Passé Composé) with 'avoir'Rule: To talk about a completed action in the past, we use the passé composé [pah-say com-poh-ZAY]. You form it with the verb avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR] in the present tense (j'ai (I have) [zhay], tu as (you have) [tew ah], il/elle a (he/she has) [eel/ell ah], nous avons (we have) [noo zah-VOHN], vous avez (you have) [voo zah-VAY], ils/elles ont (they have) [eel/ell zohn]) + the past participle of the verb. For verbs ending in -er, the past participle ends in -é.Example: J'ai parlé (I spoke) [zhay par-LAY]. Nous avons mangé (We ate) [noo zah-VOHN mahn-ZHAY].2. Sequencing WordsRule: To organize a story, we use words that show the order of events. D'abord (First) [dah-BOR], ...Ensuite (Then) [ahn-SWEET], / Puis (Then) [pwee], ...À la fin (At the e...