Lesson 3.6

Le soir — se détendre

The Evening — Unwinding

You've covered mornings, workdays, mealtimes, telling the time, and the days of the week — now it's time to wind down! In this final lesson of Unit 3, Camille and Lucas describe their evening routines: cooking, watching TV, reading, and getting ready for bed. You'll also encounter two elegant French structures — avant de + infinitive (before doing something) and après avoir + past participle (after having done something) — that allow you to sequence events naturally. A relaxing end to a productive unit!

Learning tips

Avant de + infinitive means 'before doing something': avant de dormir (before sleeping), avant de me coucher (before going to bed). The infinitive always follows de directly.
Après avoir + past participle means 'after having done something': après avoir dîné (after having dined), après avoir lu (after having read). This is a past infinitive construction — très français !
Se reposer (to rest/relax) and se détendre (to relax/unwind) overlap in meaning. Se reposer is more about physical rest; se détendre is more about mentally switching off. Both are reflexive.
Éteindre (to switch off/turn off) is irregular: j'éteins, tu éteins, il éteint, nous éteignons, vous éteignez, ils éteignent. Its opposite is allumer (to turn on) — a regular -er verb.
Lire (to read) is also irregular: je lis, tu lis, il lit, nous lisons, vous lisez, ils lisent. The past participle is lu — hence après avoir lu.

Warm-up & Active Recall

Recap: In the last lesson you learned that lundi (no article) refers to a specific day, while le lundi (with article) signals a recurring habit. You also practised ne … jamais for 'never' and the frequency adverbs parfois and toujours.

Word	Meaning
lundi	Monday
mardi	Tuesday
mercredi	Wednesday
jeudi	Thursday
vendredi	Friday
samedi	Saturday
dimanche	Sunday
la semaine	the week
parfois	sometimes
jamais	never

Dialog

Lucas arrives home after work and Camille asks about his evening habits. The conversation moves from cooking and TV-watching to reading and bedtime, naturally using avant de and après avoir. Notice how these structures help Camille and Lucas sequence their activities without repeating subject + verb every time.

🌙 Le soir — Lucas rentre chez lui après le travail

Camille

Lucas, tu fais quoi le soir après le travail ?

(Lucas, you do what the evening after the work?)

Lucas, what do you do in the evenings after work?

Lucas

D'abord je cuisine. J'aime préparer un bon repas.

(First I cook. I like to prepare a good meal.)

First I cook. I love preparing a good meal.

Camille

Et après ? Tu regardes la télévision ?

(And after? You watch the television?)

And after? Do you watch television?

Lucas

Oui, parfois je regarde un film. Après dîner, je me repose sur le canapé.

(Yes, sometimes I watch a film. After dinner, I rest on the sofa.)

Yes, sometimes I watch a film. After dinner, I rest on the sofa.

Camille

Moi, j'aime lire avant de dormir. J'ai toujours un livre sur ma table de nuit.

(Me, I like to read before sleeping. I have always a book on my bedside table.)

I like to read before going to sleep. I always have a book on my bedside table.

Lucas

C'est bien ! Moi, avant de me coucher, j'éteins tout — la télévision, la lumière.

(It-is good! Me, before to go-to-bed, I switch-off everything — the television, the light.)

That's nice! Before going to bed, I switch everything off — the TV, the light.

📖 Plus tard dans la soirée

Camille

Tu te couches tôt ? Ou tu restes debout jusqu'à minuit ?

(You go-to-bed early? Or you stay up until midnight?)

Do you go to bed early? Or do you stay up until midnight?

Lucas

J'essaie de dormir avant minuit. Je me couche vers vingt-trois heures.

(I-try to sleep before midnight. I go-to-bed around twenty-three hours.)

I try to sleep before midnight. I go to bed around eleven o'clock at night.

Camille

Moi aussi. Après avoir dîné, je lis mon livre, et ensuite je dors bien.

(Me too. After having dined, I read my book, and then I sleep well.)

Me too. After having dinner, I read my book, and then I sleep well.

Lucas

Le soir, j'aime me détendre. Pas de travail — juste le livre ou la télévision !

(The evening, I like to relax. No work — just the book or the television!)

In the evening, I like to unwind. No work — just the book or the TV!

Vocabulary

Active words

Word	IPA	Translation	Note
se reposer	/sə ʁə.po.ze/	to rest, to have a rest	Reflexive verb — je me repose, tu te reposes; used for physical rest or taking a break
dormir	/dɔʁ.miʁ/	to sleep	Irregular verb — je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons; do not confuse with se coucher (to go to bed)
se coucher	/sə ku.ʃe/	to go to bed	Reflexive verb — je me couche, tu te couches; se coucher = to lie down / go to bed
cuisiner	/kɥi.zi.ne/	to cook	Regular -er verb — je cuisine; distinct from préparer (to prepare) and faire la cuisine (to do the cooking)
éteindre	/e.tɛ̃dʁ/	to turn off, to switch off	Irregular verb — j'éteins, il éteint; used for lights, screens, appliances
lire	/liʁ/	to read	Irregular verb — je lis, tu lis, il lit, nous lisons; past participle: lu
la télévision	/la te.le.vi.zjɔ̃/	television, TV	La télévision — often shortened to la télé in everyday speech: je regarde la télé
le livre	/lə livʁ/	book	Le livre — un livre = a book; la bibliothèque = the library; la librairie = the bookshop
avant	/a.vɑ̃/	before	Preposition/conjunction — avant de + infinitive: avant de dormir (before sleeping)
après	/a.pʁɛ/	after	Preposition/conjunction — après avoir + past participle: après avoir dîné (after having dined)

Passive words

Word	IPA	Translation	Note
se détendre	/sə de.tɑ̃dʁ/
le canapé	/lə ka.na.pe/
la musique	/la my.zik/
le film	/lə film/
tranquille	/tʁɑ̃.kil/
fatigué	/fa.ti.ɡe/

Useful chunks

Word	Translation
avant de dormir	before sleeping
après avoir dîné	after having dined
se coucher tôt	to go to bed early

Pronunciation: the nasal consonant in éteindre /e.tɛ̃dʁ/: The verb éteindre contains the nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ — the same sound as in vin, fin, and faim (Lesson 3.3). In the conjugated form j'éteins /ʒe.tɛ̃/, the nasal vowel is followed by a silent final s. The nous form adds a written g to keep the nasal sound before the -ons ending: nous éteignons /nu.ze.te.ɲɔ̃/. This -gn- /ɲ/ combination (as in montagne, champagne) is a distinctly French sound — put the back of your tongue against the soft palate and let air pass through your nose simultaneously.

Grammar: Reflexive verbs in the evening routine — avant de + infinitive and après avoir/être + past participle

Structure	Exemple	Meaning
se reposer (je)	je me repose	I rest / I relax
se coucher (tu)	tu te couches	you go to bed
se coucher (il/elle)	il se couche	he goes to bed
avant de + infinitif	avant de dormir	before sleeping
avant de + infinitif	avant de me coucher	before going to bed
après avoir + participe	après avoir dîné	after having dined
après avoir + participe	après avoir lu	after having read
éteindre (je)	j'éteins	I switch off / I turn off

This lesson introduces two structures for sequencing actions in time. The first is avant de + infinitive, meaning 'before doing something'. The structure is: avant de + infinitive verb. For example: avant de dormir (before sleeping), avant de me coucher (before going to bed). Notice that the subject of both clauses is the same person — you cannot use avant de when the subjects differ. The second structure is après avoir + past participle, meaning 'after having done something'. The structure is: après avoir + past participle of the verb. For -er verbs, the past participle ends in -é: dîner → dîné, cuisiner → cuisiné. For -ir verbs: finir → fini. For irregular verbs: lire → lu, faire → fait. For example: après avoir dîné (after having dined), après avoir lu (after having read). This construction uses the past infinitive — a combination of the infinitive of avoir plus the past participle. The reflexive verbs from this lesson follow the regular pattern: je me repose (I rest), tu te couches (you go to bed), il/elle se couche (he/she goes to bed). Remember: in negative sentences, ne goes before the reflexive pronoun: Je ne me couche pas tôt (I don't go to bed early).

Exercises

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct conjugated form of the verb in parentheses, or with the correct word as indicated.

Le soir, Lucas la télévision et il se repose. (regarder)(regarder, il — regular -er verb, 3rd person singular)
de me coucher, j'éteins la lumière. (préposition + infinitif)(avant de + infinitive — which preposition + word begins this structure?)
J'aime un bon livre avant de dormir. (lecture)(lire — irregular; what is the infinitive form?)
Après dîné, je me repose sur le canapé. (auxiliaire)(après avoir + past participle — what is the auxiliary verb in the infinitive?)
Il tout avant de dormir — la télévision et la lumière. (éteindre)(éteindre, il — irregular: il éteint)

Grammar Application

Conjugate the reflexive verbs and transform the sentences as instructed.

Conjuguez « se reposer » : je , tu , il (se reposer — je me …, tu te …, il se … — fill all three blanks)
Conjuguez « se coucher » : je , tu , elle (se coucher — je me …, tu te …, elle se … — fill all three blanks)
Transformez : « Je lis. Ensuite je dors. » → Après , je dors.(Après avoir + past participle of lire — irregular past participle: lu)
Transformez : « Je dîne. Ensuite je me repose. » → Avant , je dîne.(Avant de + infinitive of se reposer — what is the infinitive of this reflexive verb?)
Mettez dans l'ordre : [ je / me couche / avant de / dormir / tôt ] → (Reorder: subject + reflexive verb + adverb + avant de + infinitive)

Translate into French

Translate each sentence into French using the vocabulary and structures from this lesson.

I like to read before sleeping.
After dinner, I rest on the sofa.
He turns off the television before going to bed.
I cook every evening.
She goes to bed early.

Build Your Own Sentence

Write 2–3 sentences in French about your own evening routine. Use at least one avant de + infinitive structure and one après avoir + past participle structure.

Takeaway

Avant de + infinitive (before doing) and après avoir + past participle (after having done) are two elegant tools for sequencing events — master these and your French will sound noticeably more fluent.

Culture note: French evenings have a particular quality that sets them apart from other cultures. After work, Parisians rarely rush straight back to the desk — the evening is protected time. A traditional French evening might start with l'apéritif (pre-dinner drinks and nibbles, usually kir or wine with olives and chips) shared with friends or family, followed by a leisurely dinner. The practice of gathering around the table for a proper meal — not eating in front of the TV — remains strong, especially in families. After dinner, French television (la télé) offers film premieres, cultural debates, and news programmes. The French read more than many of their European counterparts: le livre remains a prestigious cultural object, and French bookshops (librairies) have legal protections that prevent deep discounting — a deliberate effort to keep reading culture alive. Bonne soirée !

Explanations in: de en