What our things say about us

"Ce que nos affaires disent de nous"
French C1 writing exercise

Marc is interviewing Dr Maurel, a psychologist, about what people's belongings can say about them.

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "to reveal [something]", "an identity", "inconsequential", "daily life", "to reflect", "[someone's] values", "an emotional need", "drawn from [someone's] experience", "a patient", "to hold on to [a possession]", "battered (soft toy)", "a plush toy [US: stuffed animal]", "to realise (to be aware)", "to consider [something] as [something]", "a reflection (figuratively)", "to matter", "to identify with [something]", "[something] to be attached to [something]", "nostalgia", "growth (personality)".

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

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

- Dr Maurel, do you think that our personal belongings reveal something about our identity? - Of course! Even though they might seem inconsequential in our daily life, our personal objects often reflect our values and even our emotional needs. - Could you give an example drawn from your own experience? - I remember one of my former patients who held on to a battered old plush toy [US: stuffed animal] for more than thirty years! Without realising it, he considered it as the reflection of a part of himself. - So, what you're saying is that an object is not only a physical item, but that it also holds a certain emotional significance. - Exactly! What matters the most is how people identify with their own possessions: their personal stories and the memories which are attached to that specific object. Thus, what you would have considered as your favourite toy could later in life become a symbol of nostalgia or growth in your life. - All of this is really fascinating ! Thank you for your explanation, Dr Maurel!

Let me take a look at that...