Christmas shopping: the pressure is on!

"Les achats de Noël : la pression monte !"
French B2 writing exercise

Noémie and Sophie are really feeling the pressure of the dreaded Christmas shopping this year!

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "to manage to [do]", "well in advance", "to postpone [something]", "Christmas shopping", "to realise [something]", "to have only [time] left", "to fear that + [Subjonctif]", "to leave [something] so late", "housework", "to look after children by [oneself]", "to provide [someone] with [something]", "a gift list", "to face [something]", "a big crowd", "to bet", "to be mayhem (general statement)" , "as expected", "available in the shops", "to turn out to be", "luckily", "a tense conversation", "a toy shop [US: a toy store]", "to get hold of [an item]", "well done!".

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA
Last updated: 2025-12-10

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 Passé Composé (Indicatif), Le Présent (Indicatif), Verbes réguliers avec -ER

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

- Usually, I manage to buy all my Christmas gifts well in advance but this year, I kept postponing the Christmas shopping. Now, I realise that I only have a week left! I fear (that) I won't be ready on time. - Why have you left it so late? - Between work, housework and looking after the children by myself, I've not had the time to organise myself this year. And yesterday, my mother-in-law asked me to provide her with a precise gift list. It is really important that I do it quickly. What about you, Noémie? Have you faced the big crowds for your Christmas shopping? I bet (that) it was mayhem. - Oh Sophie! My son absolutely wanted that toy which is very popular at the moment. As expected, finding one available in the shops turned out to be super hard. But luckily, after a tense conversation with the manager of the toy shop [US: toy store], I got hold of one! - Well done! Let's hope (that) we'll be better organised next year!

I'll be right with you...