Gap-fill
Explain a health timeline in French: since, then and no longer
Practise a French symptom timeline with eight gaps. Say when a symptom began, what changed and what is still happening, with a translation.
- B1
- 8 gaps
- Translation included
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Use depuis for a symptom that continues, a past tense for a past observation and ne… plus for something that has stopped. Keep each symptom beside its own time: la gorge depuis lundi ; la tête mardi soir.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Name the place that hurts
Find:
| When | Throat | Head |
|---|---|---|
| Lundi matin | Début du mal de gorge | — |
| Mardi soir | Le mal de gorge continue | Mal de tête |
| Mercredi matin · maintenant | Le mal de gorge continue | Plus de mal de tête |
How do you explain how long you’ve been ill in French?
depuis + présentsince / for, still happening
Focus: something that began earlier and continues now
Je tousse depuis deux jours.
I’ve been coughing for two days.
imparfaitwas happening / was the case
Focus: a symptom at a past moment
Hier soir, j’avais mal au dos.
Last night, my back hurt.
ne… plusno longer / not any more
Focus: a symptom that has stopped
Aujourd’hui, je ne tousse plus.
Today, I’m not coughing any more.
It is Wednesday morning. Complete the account from the note. Use the verb and meaning hints; there are eight gaps. In the last paragraph, the speaker remembers the walk but is less precise about the first moment of pain.
Mercredi matin : expliquer la suite
Depuis lundi matin, j’(avoir, présent) mal à la gorge. Mardi soir, j’(avoir, imparfait) aussi mal à la tête.
Ce matin, je n’ai (no longer) mal à la tête, mais la douleur à la gorge (continuer, présent).
J’ai remarqué la douleur (after) ma promenade de lundi. Je ne sais pas ce qui l’a (provoquer, participe passé ; l’ = la douleur). Je ne me (se souvenir, présent) pas (exactly) de l’heure à laquelle j’ai remarqué cette douleur.
Read it in English
Since Monday morning, I’ve had a sore throat. On Tuesday evening, I also had a headache.
This morning, I no longer have a headache, but the pain in my throat continues.
I noticed the pain after my walk on Monday. I do not know what caused it. I do not remember exactly what time I noticed that pain.
Make a short note for your own account
Four details to keep together
- I have named each symptom separately.
- I have put a day or an approximate period beside each one.
- I have marked what is still happening and what has stopped.
- I have left room for a detail I want to ask about.
A note can stay brief: a body part, a time and the current state. Keep the wording you can explain comfortably. Show the note when a name or a sequence is hard to say.