I can read a story about a trip and tell what was usual and what happened once; I can put my own story in order: d'abord, puis, ensuite, après, enfin.
What the text is about
What the text is about
You're about to read a memory of summer trips. All the past tenses in the text are ones you know: the imparfait tells what it was like every year, the passé composé what happened once.
The story rests on five sequence words: d'abord (first) · puis (then) · ensuite (next, after that) · après (after something) · enfin (finally). You already know d'abord and puis; ensuite goes in the same place as puis, and après needs a noun after it: après le cours, après la balade.
Common mistakes: NOT “après nous avons mangé” — après needs a noun after it; before a verb (English “afterwards, we ate”), use ensuite or puis.
Five sequence words in a story
After après comes a noun; after the others, a normal sentence.
| Word | When to use it |
|---|---|
| d'abord | the very first thing |
| puis | the next thing |
| ensuite | the same position as puis |
| après | after something: needs a noun |
| enfin | the last thing |
Lesson notes
What the text is about
You're about to read a memory of summer trips. All the past tenses in the text are ones you know: the imparfait tells what it was like every year, the passé composé what happened once.
The story rests on five sequence words: d'abord (first) · puis (then) · ensuite (next, after that) · après (after something) · enfin (finally). You already know d'abord and puis; ensuite goes in the same place as puis, and après needs a noun after it: après le cours, après la balade.
Common mistakes: NOT “après nous avons mangé” — après needs a noun after it; before a verb (English “afterwards, we ate”), use ensuite or puis.