Johnny Hallyday, a French icon

"Johnny Hallyday, une icône française"
French C1 writing exercise

Paul and his mum talk about her favourite French singer, Johnny Hallyday.

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "a record collection", "to collect [something]", "a vinyl record (music)", "to be transfixed by", "to adapt to [someone]'s taste", "to wane (popularity)", "a highlight (career)", "the same year...", "to win at home (sport)", "a ballad (song)", "to be a presence on stage", "to touch [someone]'s heart", "to record a song (artist)", "a superstar".

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA
Last updated: 2023-06-22

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: L'Imparfait (Indicatif), Préposition, Le Passé Composé (Indicatif)

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

- Mum [US: Mom], I don't know anyone who owns a Johnny Hallyday record collection as impressive as yours! - Thank you! I started collecting vinyl records when I was fifteen or so! I still remember being transfixed by his voice, when, in 1960, I'd heard "Souvenirs, Souvenirs" for the first time on the radio! - What a powerful voice that man had! And I admire how he managed to adapt to the taste of different generations, without his popularity ever waning! To me, one of the highlights of his career will always be his giant concert at the Stade de France in 1998, the same year France won the Football [US: Soccer] World Cup at home! - Yes, Johnny was such an incredible presence on stage! Plus, his songs were so extraordinarily varied: he could go from rock'n'roll to ballads, while knowing how to touch the heart of his audience with his lyrics. - Did you know that he had recorded more than one thousand songs during his life? - No, I had no idea, but it does not surprise me either! Anyway, Johnny Hallyday will forever remain a superstar of French music!

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