My first Mother's Day

"Ma première Fête des mères"
French C1 writing exercise

Danielle looks back on her very first Mother's Day with her son.

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "to have only just + [done]", "to bring [someone] joy", "to make [someone] reflect on [something]", "a bond", "ups and downs", "on the way (fig.)", "a nighttime feeding (breastfeeding)", "a crying fit", "not for the world", "worthy of", "a Michelin-starred restaurant", "a milestone (life)", "to have [something] made", "to be sleep-deprived".

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA
Last updated: 2023-05-30

I’ll give you some sentences to translate into French

  • I’ll show you where you make mistakes
  • I’ll keep track of what you need to practise
  • Change my choices if you want
Start the exercise
How the test works
You’ll practise: Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif), L'Imparfait (Indicatif), Adjectif possessif

Here's a preview of the text for the writing challenge, when you're ready click the start button above:

I can still remember my very first Mother's Day like it was yesterday! You were ten months old and you had only just started to say "Mummy" [US: Mommy]. Hearing you say my name had brought me such joy, but it'd also made me reflect on those past months since you came into our lives. As soon as you were born, I'd felt a deep bond with you, and suddenly, I'd realised that I could not live without you! Yes, there had been ups and downs on the way, as we were adapting to a radically new lifestyle, especially with the nighttime feedings and sudden crying fits. However, I remember thinking that I wouldn't change my life for the world. On that special Mother's Day, your dad had organised a beautiful surprise: he had prepared (for us) a picnic worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant and he'd had a photo album with all your life's milestones made for the occasion. And although your dad and I were still sleep-deprived, I had had a really wonderful day!

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