FlexiLingoBlog post: a week with a foreign student
The task
120 to 150 wordsVous avez reçu chez vous, pendant une semaine, un(e) étudiant(e) venu(e) de l'étranger. Pour votre blog personnel, vous rédigez un article dans lequel vous racontez cette semaine et vous expliquez ce qui vous a plu dans cette expérience d'accueil. Votre texte doit comporter entre 120 et 150 mots.
TCF Canada — expression écrite — tâche 2
Translation of the prompt
لقد استضفتَ في منزلك، لمدة أسبوع، طالباً (أو طالبة) قادماً من الخارج. من أجل مدوّنتك الشخصية، تكتب مقالاً تروي فيه هذا الأسبوع وتشرح ما أعجبك في تجربة الاستضافة هذه. يجب أن يتراوح نصك بين 120 و150 كلمة.
Translation of the prompt
Sie haben eine Woche lang eine Studentin oder einen Studenten aus dem Ausland bei sich zu Hause aufgenommen. Für Ihren persönlichen Blog verfassen Sie einen Artikel, in dem Sie diese Woche erzählen und erklären, was Ihnen an dieser Erfahrung des Gastgebens gefallen hat. Ihr Text muss zwischen 120 und 150 Wörter umfassen.
Translation of the prompt
You hosted a student from abroad at your home for a week. For your personal blog, you are writing an article in which you recount this week and explain what you enjoyed about this hosting experience. Your text must be between 120 and 150 words.
Translation of the prompt
شما به مدت یک هفته در خانهٔ خود میزبان یک دانشجوی خارجی بودهاید. برای وبلاگ شخصیتان مقالهای مینویسید که در آن این هفته را تعریف میکنید و توضیح میدهید که چه چیزی در این تجربهٔ میزبانی برایتان لذتبخش بود. متن شما باید بین ۱۲۰ تا ۱۵۰ کلمه باشد.
Translation of the prompt
आपने अपने घर में, एक सप्ताह के लिए, विदेश से आए एक छात्र/छात्रा की मेज़बानी की है। अपने व्यक्तिगत ब्लॉग के लिए, आप एक लेख लिखते हैं जिसमें आप इस सप्ताह के बारे में बताते हैं और यह समझाते हैं कि इस मेज़बानी के अनुभव में आपको क्या अच्छा लगा। आपके पाठ में 120 से 150 शब्द होने चाहिए।
Translation of the prompt
Bạn đã đón tiếp tại nhà mình, trong một tuần, một sinh viên đến từ nước ngoài. Cho blog cá nhân của mình, bạn viết một bài trong đó bạn kể lại tuần lễ này và giải thích điều gì đã khiến bạn thích thú trong trải nghiệm đón tiếp này. Bài viết của bạn phải có từ 120 đến 150 từ.
Translation of the prompt
你曾在家中接待过一位来自国外的学生,为期一周。请为你的个人博客写一篇文章,讲述这一周的经历,并说明这次接待经历中你最喜欢的地方。文章字数需在120至150字之间。
How to structure your answer
Opening hook: introduce the guest (origin, reason for the stay) and set a positive tone for the article
Narrate the week: two or three concrete shared moments (meals, outings, cultural exchanges)
Personal comment: what this encounter brought you (open-mindedness, friendship, cultural discovery)
Conclusion with an opinion or outlook (wanting to do it again, staying in touch with the person)
Model answer
about 142 wordsLa semaine dernière, j'ai accueilli Mariam, une étudiante sénégalaise venue suivre un stage linguistique dans notre ville, et je garde de ce séjour un souvenir vraiment marquant.
Dès son arrivée, nous avons partagé les repas, discuté de nos cultures respectives et visité ensemble quelques quartiers emblématiques. Mariam m'a raconté sa vie au Sénégal, ses études, ses rêves d'avenir, et j'ai découvert des traditions que je ne connaissais pas du tout.
Ce qui m'a le plus plu, c'est l'ouverture d'esprit que cette rencontre m'a apportée. Accueillir quelqu'un chez soi, ce n'est pas seulement offrir un lit et un repas : c'est apprendre à voir le monde autrement, sortir de son quotidien et tisser des liens sincères malgré la distance culturelle.
Depuis son départ, nous restons en contact régulièrement. Cette expérience m'a tellement plu que j'envisage sérieusement de m'inscrire comme famille d'accueil de façon permanente.
Show the translation
Last week, I hosted Mariam, a Senegalese student who came for a language course in our city, and I have a truly memorable memory of this stay.
From the moment she arrived, we shared meals, talked about our respective cultures, and visited some iconic neighborhoods together. Mariam told me about her life in Senegal, her studies, her dreams for the future, and I discovered traditions I knew nothing about.
What I liked most was the open-mindedness this encounter brought me. Hosting someone in your home isn't just about offering a bed and a meal: it's about learning to see the world differently, stepping outside your daily routine, and building sincere bonds despite cultural distance.
Since she left, we have stayed in regular contact. I enjoyed this experience so much that I am seriously considering registering as a host family on a permanent basis.
Key vocabulary
| Word or phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| accueillir quelqu'un chez soi | to host someone in your own home |
| une famille d'accueil | a host family that takes in a foreign or vulnerable person |
| un séjour linguistique | a trip taken to learn or practice a language |
| tisser des liens | to gradually build a relationship or friendship |
| l'ouverture d'esprit | open-mindedness, the ability to accept ideas and cultures different from one's own |
| un échange culturel | a sharing of customs and traditions between people of different backgrounds |
| garder contact | to keep in touch with someone after a separation |
Common mistakes
Mixing narrative past tense (passé composé/imparfait) with a present-tense account makes the article's timeline inconsistent.
Forgetting that this is a 'blog article' and writing a plain letter instead, without a title or a personal tone aimed at readers.
Going well over the 150-word limit by trying to tell everything, instead of picking two or three meaningful moments.
Misusing 'accueillir' and 'héberger' — for example saying you hosted someone 'in' your family instead of 'at' or 'with' your family.
Wrongj'ai hébergé Mariam dans ma famille
Rightj'ai hébergé Mariam chez ma famille
Overusing 'très content' without varying expressions of feeling (moving, enriching, touching, unforgettable).
The grammar this task needs
Passé composé vs imparfait for narrating a past week
This blog article recounts a completed stay while also describing ongoing feelings and background context, so both tenses must be used correctly and consistently
- La semaine dernière, j'ai accueilli Mariam, une étudiante sénégalaise venue suivre un stage linguistique dans notre ville
- Dès son arrivée, nous avons partagé les repas, discuté de nos cultures respectives et visité ensemble quelques quartiers emblématiques
Use of prepositions with 'accueillir' vs 'héberger'
This is a very common trap on this topic: 'accueillir quelqu'un' takes no preposition before the person, but describing where someone stayed requires 'chez' or 'dans', not 'dans ma famille' incorrectly formed
- J'ai accueilli Mariam chez moi
- Mariam a logé chez ma famille pendant une semaine
Gerund and infinitive constructions to express general truths or reflections
The personal commentary paragraph needs abstract statements about what hosting someone means, which French expresses well with infinitives as subjects
- Accueillir quelqu'un chez soi, ce n'est pas seulement offrir un lit et un repas
- Apprendre à voir le monde autrement demande de l'ouverture d'esprit
Present tense for the concluding perspective
The final paragraph shifts back to the present to state an ongoing situation or future intention, marking a clear break from the narrative past
- Depuis son départ, nous restons en contact régulièrement
- Cette expérience m'a tellement plu que j'envisage sérieusement de m'inscrire comme famille d'accueil
Phrases to reuse
| Phrase | When to use it |
|---|---|
| je garde de ce séjour un souvenir vraiment marquant | Opening line to introduce a personal, memorable experience with emotional weight |
| dès son arrivée | Transition phrase to start the narrative part of the story smoothly |
| ce qui m'a le plus plu, c'est... | Highlighting the single most important positive aspect of the experience |
| accueillir quelqu'un chez soi, ce n'est pas seulement..., c'est... | Rhetorical structure to contrast a superficial view with a deeper, more meaningful one |
| sortir de son quotidien | Expressing the idea of breaking away from routine through a new experience |
| tisser des liens sincères malgré... | Describing genuine relationships formed despite differences or obstacles |
| depuis son départ, nous restons en contact | Concluding paragraph to show the relationship continues beyond the event |
| cette expérience m'a tellement plu que... | Linking the positive experience to a resulting decision or intention |
| j'envisage sérieusement de... | Expressing a serious future intention as a strong conclusion |
| un échange culturel enrichissant | Varying vocabulary instead of overusing 'intéressant' or 'content' |
Ideas bank
| Position | Argument | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for | Hosting a foreign student broadens your own cultural horizons | You learn about traditions, food, or values you never encountered before, like Mariam's stories about life in Senegal |
| for | It creates lasting friendships beyond the stay itself | Staying in touch after the person leaves shows the relationship became meaningful, not just a temporary arrangement |
| nuance | Hosting requires effort and adaptation, not just enthusiasm | Adjusting your daily routine, sharing your space, and communicating despite language or cultural gaps take real commitment |
| for | It can lead to a long-term decision, like becoming a permanent host family | The positive experience convinces the writer to consider hosting regularly in the future |
What the examiner looks for
The examiner checks whether the narrative uses past tenses accurately and consistently to recount a completed week, while shifting appropriately to the present for reflections and conclusions. They look for a genuine blog tone with a personal, engaging voice rather than a formal letter. The response should stay within 120-150 words by focusing on two or three concrete, well-developed moments rather than listing too many superficial details. Vocabulary variety around hosting and cultural exchange is expected, avoiding repetitive simple adjectives. Finally, the piece should end with a clear personal opinion or perspective that gives the article a sense of closure.