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A French morning with one bathroom for three people

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Follow a French bathroom rota for three housemates. Read four timed steps, match first, next and finally, and find when the room becomes free.

In short

Use the times to establish the order, then attach the connector: d’abord marks Lina’s first turn, ensuite introduces Nora, and puis introduces Sami. At 7:30, enfin marks the completed bathroom sequence and the start of breakfast together.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Three coloured towels and three toothbrush cups beside a bathroom sink.
Use each start and finish time to follow the three turns in one bathroom. Illustration: Atelier

Lina, Nora and Sami share one bathroom before leaving for work. Each has a fifteen-minute turn. Their times are already agreed, so you can follow the sequence without guessing who wakes first or who takes the longest shower. Read the entry time and the end time as a pair.

One bathroom, three turns
HousemateEntersLeaves
Lina6:457:00
Nora7:007:15
Sami7:157:30

The bathroom sequence

  1. 6 h 45
    D’abord, Lina entre dans la salle de bains.First, Lina goes into the bathroom.
  2. 7 h
    Ensuite, Nora prend sa place. Lina prépare le café.Next, Nora takes her turn. Lina makes coffee.
  3. 7 h 15
    Puis, Sami entre. Nora met les tasses sur la table.Then Sami goes in. Nora puts the cups on the table.
  4. 7 h 30
    Enfin, Sami sort. La salle de bains est libre et tous les trois prennent le petit déjeuner.Finally, Sami comes out. The bathroom is free and all three have breakfast.

Question 1No account needed
Who has the first turn?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Lina. The first timeline event is at 6:45 and names Lina with d’abord.

Question 2No account needed
Who uses the bathroom while Lina makes coffee?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Nora. At 7:00, Nora takes her turn while Lina prepares coffee.

Question 3No account needed
When is the bathroom free after all three turns?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

7:30. Sami leaves at 7:30, ending the last scheduled turn.

Question 4No account needed
Which connector marks the final step of this sequence?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Enfin. Enfin introduces the last step, here Sami leaving and breakfast beginning.

A new step can contain two simultaneous actions

At seven, Nora enters the bathroom while Lina prepares coffee. These actions can happen at the same time because they take place in different rooms. The timeline’s main order tracks who has the bathroom. The accompanying kitchen actions explain what the others do while waiting.

Four connectors with the same ordered plan
ConnectorMeaningHere it introduces
d’abordfirstLina’s turn
ensuitenextNora’s turn
puisthenSami’s turn
enfinfinallyThe end of the bathroom sequence

Ensuite and puis both move the story to a later step. They do not tell you the exact number of minutes between actions; the clock times provide that information. Enfin marks the final step of the sequence you are describing, rather than necessarily the last event of the whole day.

Je me prépare après Nora, à sept heures et quart.

I get ready after Nora, at quarter past seven.

To explain a real shared schedule, give the person and start time first, then say when the room becomes available. This helps another person plan their turn. If a turn changes, replace the times before choosing the new d’abord, ensuite and enfin labels.

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