Key points about describing healthy living and lifestlye
Use Used to communicate that something must be done without specifying who should do it, where there is no natural subject (I, you, he, etc.). and A verb that is usually followed by an infinitive, such as pouvoir (to be able to), vouloir (to want to), and devoir (must). verbs followed by an The basic form of the verb. In French, all infinitives end in '-er', '-ir' or '-re'. to talk about what you must do or should do to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Negative forms can be used to say what you should not do or what you should avoid.
This guide contains listening practice.
Vocabulary – Describing a healthy lifestyle
Useful suggestions for maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle include:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| bien dormir | to sleep well |
| manger équilibré | to eat a balanced diet |
| boire plus d’eau | to drink more water |
| faire de l’exercice | to exercise |
| courir | to run |
| marcher plus | to walk more |
| exprimer ses émotions | to express one’s emotions |
For example:
Pour vivre une vie saine, on doit bien dormir. - To live a healthy life, you need to sleep well.
Je veux garder la forme donc je fais de l’exercice tous les jours. - I want to stay fit so I exercise every day.
Grammar - Using infinitives after 'devoir' and ‘il faut’
To talk about what you have to do or must do, use the modal verb devoir or the impersonal verb il faut, followed by an infinitive.
For example:
Je dois bouger plus. - I must move more.
Il faut comprendre les conséquences. - You have to understand the consequences.
Did you know?
The noun les devoirs (homework) is related to the verb devoir (to have to/must), Homework is something that you have to or must do!
The present tense of the modal verb devoir (to have to, must)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je dois | I have to / I must |
| tu dois | you (singular, informal) have to / you must |
| il/elle/on doit | he/she/it/one has to / must |
| nous devons | we have to / we must |
| vous devez | you (plural, formal) have to / you must |
| ils/elles doivent | they have to / they must |
Il faut is an impersonal verb so it only exists in the il form. However, it may translate into English in various ways, including ‘you must’, ‘we must’ and ‘it is necessary to’.
‘Devoir’ and ‘il faut’ - Mini Quiz
Complete the following sentences in French.
Je dois ________ maintenant.
I must go now.
Je dois aller maintenant.
Use the infinitive form of the verb, in this case aller (to go) after a modal verb, je dois.
Il ________ manger sain.
We must eat healthily.
Il faut manger sain.
Il faut is followed by an infinitive.
Nous ________ marcher au collège.
We have to walk to school.
devoir = to have to, must
Nous devons marcher au collège.
Devons is the nous form of the verb devoir.
Find out more ing devoir and il faut in the Infinitives in French guide.
Listening practice
Listen to the podcast extracts in which three students are discussing health apps and answer the questions.
Press or click on the purple START button when you are ready to begin the activity.
Vocabulary - Describing unhealthy choices
Useful vocabulary for describing what to avoid to stay fit and healthy:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| fumer | smoking |
| boire trop d’alcool | drinking too much alcohol |
| prendre de la drogue | taking drugs |
| vapoter | vaping |
| se coucher trop tard | going to bed too late |
| être toujours devant un écran | always being in front of a screen |
| manger beaucoup de fast-food | eating a lot of fast food |
For example:
Fumer n’est pas bon pour la santé. - Smoking is not good for your health.
J’évite de me coucher trop tard pendant la semaine. - I avoid going to bed too late during the week.
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Grammar - How to form negatives in French
To say ‘not’, use ne and pas, on either side of the conjugated verb. Use n’ before a vowel or silent h.
Present tense
In the present tense, they are placed around the main verb in the sentence.
For example:
Je ne fume pas. – I don’t smoke.
Il ne mange pas sain. – He doesn’t eat healthily.
Perfect tense
In the perfect tense, the negative words wrap around the auxiliary avoir or être.
For example:
Ils n’ont pas bu. – They didn’t drink.
Nous ne sommes pas allés au centre sportif. – We didn’t go to the sports centre.
Near future tense
In the near future tense, the negative words are placed around the conjugated form of aller.
For example:
Nous n’allons pas acheter de fast-food. – We aren’t going to buy fast food.
Where a verb is followed by an infinitive, the negative words wrap around the first verb, the one that is conjugated, and the infinitive follows it.
For example:
Je ne voudrais pas vapoter. - I wouldn’t like to vape.
Nous n’aimons pas courir. - We don’t like running.
After a negative structure, du, de la, de l’ and des become de or d’.
For example:
On ne mange pas de légumes. - We don’t eat vegetables.
Other negative structures
These other negative structures are also formed by wrapping the negative words around the conjugated verb.
| Negative form | English | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ne … rien | nothing | Elle ne boit rien. | She doesn’t drink. |
| ne … jamais | never | Nous n’allons jamais fumer. | We’re never going to smoke. |
| ne … personne | nobody/no one / not anyone | Je ne connais personne ici. | I don’t know anyone here. |
Be careful not to confuse une personne (a person/someone) with ne … personne (no one):
For example:
Il y a une personne dans la piscine. – There is a person/someone in the swimming pool.
Il n’y a personne dans la piscine. – There isn’t anyone in the swimming pool.
Negatives in French – Mini quiz
Translate the following sentences into French
We don’t like vaping.
On n’aime pas vapoter. / Nous n’aimons pas vapoter.
Use n’ … pas around the conjugated verb when it starts with a vowel.
He’s not going to do anything.
Il ne va rien faire.
Use ne … rien around the conjugated verb to translate ‘not anything’ or ‘nothing’.
I don’t see anybody.
Je ne vois personne.
Use ne … personne around the verb to translate ‘not anyone’, ‘nobody’ or ‘no one'.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when talking about healthy living and lifestyle.
Higher Tier – Vocabulary – Healthy living
Useful verbs include:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| ref les cigarettes | to refuse cigarettes |
| s’asseoir toute la journée | sitting down all day |
All vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher Tier - Grammar – 'Devoir' in the perfect tense
To use devoir in the perfect tense, use the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle dû, followed by an infinitive.
For example:
Elle a dû courir. - She had to run.
Ils ont dû exprimer leurs émotions. - They had to express their emotions.
Higher Tier - Grammar – Other negative structures
The following negative structures are formed by wrapping the negative words around the conjugated verb.
| Negative form | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ne … plus | no longer, not anymore | Elle ne boit plus d’alcool. – She doesn’t drink alcohol anymore. |
| ne … que | only | Ils n’ont qu’un choix. - They only have one option. |
| ne … ni … ni | neither … nor | Je ne mangerai ni viande ni poisson. – I will eat neither meat nor fish. |
| ne … pas encore | not yet | On ne veut pas encore aller au lit. We don’t want to go to bed yet. |
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of Higher Tier useful vocabulary to use when talking about healthy living and lifestyle.
Now you have revised the vocabulary and key grammar for describing healthy living and lifestyles in French, why not have a look at the Describing entertainment in French guide.
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