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Mission: tell a long story that keeps people listening

Telling a story. Mix three past tenses and the little linking words that make a story flow.

FrenchB1 · Stories and memoriesAbout 8 min: 3 reading, 5 practiceUpdated

After this lesson you can
  • Choose between the passé composé, the imparfait and the plus-que-parfait inside one story
  • Link events with soudain, tout à coup, à ce moment-là, au bout d'un moment and finalement
  • Use du coup the way people do in speech
  • Keep your listener hooked with Et là… and Tu ne devineras jamais…
Stories and memories: lesson 2 of 3
  1. B1 · Stories and memories
  2. Mission: tell the story of a trip that went wrong 8 min
  3. Mission: tell a long story that keeps people listening 8 min
  4. Mission: pass on a message from someone else 10 min

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Level Level B1 (around the DELF B1 exam). Real French: telling a funny or dramatic story at a dinner with friends.

What it is

Your mission: you're at a dinner with friends. Your friend Julie says, « Raconte-nous la fois où tu es resté coincé dans l'ascenseur ! » Tell the whole story, in order, so that nobody stops listening before the end.

A good story in French uses three past tenses together, each with its own job:

TenseIts job in the story
imparfaitthe scene, feelings, what was going on: il pleuvait, j'étais épuisé
passé composéthe events, one after another: je suis entré, la lumière s'est éteinte
plus-que-parfaitwhat had happened before: j'avais travaillé douze heures

Think of it as a film: the imparfait is the set, the passé composé is the action, and the plus-que-parfait is the flashback.

Linking words that move the story along:

Word or phraseMeaning
soudain, tout à coupsuddenly (a new event follows)
à ce moment-làat that moment
au bout d'un momentafter a while
finalementin the end
du coupso, as a result (spoken)

Soudain and tout à coup announce a new event, so they usually go with the passé composé (or the present in spoken storytelling): Soudain, la lumière s'est éteinte.

Keeping the listener hooked. Storytellers pause just before the surprise:

  • Et là… (and then, at that point…): Et là, j'ai entendu un bruit.
  • Tu ne devineras jamais… (you'll never guess…): Tu ne devineras jamais qui était dans l'ascenseur !
  • A question: Et tu sais ce qui s'est passé ?
More detail: du coup

Du coup is relaxed spoken French, and everyone says it: Il pleuvait, du coup on est rentrés. In a formal letter or text, use alors or donc instead.

Quick check

Tap an answer to check it.

  1. « Soudain, la lumière … . » (s'éteindre)

    Show answer

    s'est éteinte. soudain + a sudden new event = passé composé.

Why it matters

Telling a story is the thing everyone does in a conversation: your weekend, your holiday, the bad day at work. Without the linking words, you give a list of facts; with them, people follow you and laugh in the right places.

Worked example

At the dinner:

  • Julie: Raconte-nous la fois où tu es resté coincé dans l'ascenseur !
  • Malik: Alors, c'était un vendredi soir. Il pleuvait et j'étais épuisé : j'avais travaillé douze heures. Je suis monté dans l'ascenseur de mon immeuble. Soudain, la lumière s'est éteinte et tout s'est arrêté.
  • Julie: Et alors ?
  • Malik: Au bout d'un moment, j'ai appuyé sur le bouton d'alarme. Rien. Et là, tu ne devineras jamais : j'ai entendu quelqu'un respirer dans le noir ! C'était mon voisin du dessus. Il était déjà là quand je suis entré, et je ne l'avais pas vu.
  • Julie: Non ! Et du coup ?
  • Malik: Du coup, on a discuté pendant une heure. Finalement, les pompiers sont arrivés et on est sortis. Maintenant, on est amis !

Real French: in spoken stories, people often switch to the present right after Et là: Et là, j'entends un bruit… It makes the moment feel immediate. In writing, you'll usually stay in the past tenses.

Common mistake

Telling everything in the passé composé, so the story has no scenery: wrong: Il a plu et j'ai été fatigué quand la lumière s'est éteinte. The weather and your feeling are the background: Il pleuvait et j'étais fatigué quand la lumière s'est éteinte.

Also, don't usually put the plus-que-parfait after soudain: wrong: Soudain, la lumière s'était éteinte. Soudain introduces the next event, so it usually takes the passé composé.

Quick check

Tap an answer to check it.

  1. Which version tells it as it happens: a rainy evening, then a sudden event?

    Show answer

    Il pleuvait et j'étais fatigué quand, tout à coup, la lumière s'est éteinte.. imparfait for the scene, passé composé for the sudden event.

Key terms

soudain
suddenly
tout à coup
all of a sudden
à ce moment-là
at that moment
au bout d'un moment
after a while
finalement
in the end
du coup
so, as a result (spoken)
Et là…
and then… (spoken hook)
Tu ne devineras jamais…
you'll never guess…

Practise the key terms

Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.

FrontBack
soudainsuddenly
tout à coupall of a sudden
à ce moment-làat that moment
au bout d'un momentafter a while
finalementin the end
du coupso, as a result (spoken)
Et là…and then… (spoken hook)
Tu ne devineras jamais…you'll never guess…

Practice

Sort it

Scene (imparfait) or event (passé composé)?

  1. Il pleuvait.

    Show answer

    Scene. imparfait: weather in the background

  2. La lumière s'est éteinte.

    Show answer

    Event. passé composé: something happened

  3. J'étais épuisé.

    Show answer

    Scene. imparfait: a state

  4. Les pompiers sont arrivés.

    Show answer

    Event. passé composé: a new event

  5. Il faisait noir.

    Show answer

    Scene. imparfait: description

  6. Personne n'a répondu.

    Show answer

    Event. passé composé: a result

Recognition drill

Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.

All pairs

Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.

FrontBack
soudainsuddenly
tout à coupall of a sudden
à ce moment-làat that moment
au bout d'un momentafter a while
finalementin the end
du coupso, as a result
Et là…and then…
Tu ne devineras jamais…you'll never guess…

Quick quiz

Tap an answer to check it.

  1. Which phrase means "after a while"?

    Show answer

    au bout d'un moment. au bout de + a stretch of time.

  2. « Je … dans la rue quand j'ai vu un chien. » (marcher, the background action)

    Show answer

    marchais. an action in progress when something happens = imparfait.

  3. You want to build suspense before the surprise in your story. Which line fits?

    Show answer

    Et là, tu ne devineras jamais ce que j'ai vu !. Et là and Tu ne devineras jamais make the listener wait.

Build the sentence

Build "You'll never guess what happened!"

Show answer

Tu ne devineras jamais ce qui s'est passé !. ne … jamais wraps the verb: tu ne devineras jamais.

Practise speaking

Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.

Mission role-play. You are Julie, my friend, at a dinner with other friends, and we use tu. At level B1, speak naturally but clearly. Start with « Raconte-nous la fois où il t'est arrivé quelque chose de bizarre ! ». I will tell a story that I make up. React like a real listener, one question at a time: « Et alors ? », « Pourquoi ? », « Qu'est-ce qui s'était passé avant ? ». After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, with the tenses (passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait) or the linking words, and let me try again. The mission is complete when my story has a scene in the imparfait, events in the passé composé, one plus-que-parfait, at least four linking words (soudain, tout à coup, à ce moment-là, au bout d'un moment, finalement, du coup) and one hook such as Et là… or Tu ne devineras jamais… : then say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.

Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.

Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.

New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.

In short

  • Imparfait for the scene and feelings, passé composé for the events, plus-que-parfait for what happened before.
  • Soudain and tout à coup usually announce a new event: passé composé.
  • Au bout d'un moment (after a while), à ce moment-là (at that moment), finalement (in the end).
  • Du coup (so) is spoken French; in writing use alors or donc.
  • Hooks: Et là… and Tu ne devineras jamais…

Mastery check

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Check yourself

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  1. Which tense describes the weather and your feelings in a story?

    Show answer

    The imparfait: il pleuvait, j'étais fatigué.

  2. How do you say "After a while, I pressed the button"?

    Show answer

    Au bout d'un moment, j'ai appuyé sur le bouton.

  3. What can you say just before the surprise to keep people listening?

    Show answer

    Et là… or Tu ne devineras jamais…

Further reading