quand j'étais plus jeune
The English phrase 'when I was younger' is translated into French as quand j'étais plus jeune.
This phrase is used to refer to a time in the past when the speaker was at a lower age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase quand j'étais plus jeune literally translates to 'when I was more young'.
Which one should you use?
Using the passé composé (quand j'ai été) instead of the imperfect (quand j'étais) is a common mistake. The imperfect is required here because being young is a state, not a completed action.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the passé composé form quand j'ai été plus jeune to describe this period. Instead, use the imperfect quand j'étais plus jeune because being young is a state.
Did you know?
- While English speakers often say 'when I was a kid', French speakers frequently prefer quand j'étais petit meaning 'when I was small' to describe their childhood.
- In French, the word jeune describes not only age but also things that are fresh or unripe, such as vin jeune for a young wine.
- To sound more casual or nostalgic in spoken French, people sometimes replace quand j'étais plus jeune with à l'époque.
Examples in context
- Je n'aimais pas chanter quand j'étais plus jeune.I didn't like singing when I was younger.This sentence is useful for expressing a past dislike of an activity using quand j'étais plus jeune.Tatoeba #11721057 by Aiji, translation #5820125 by CK
- J'ai travaillé dans une ferme quand j'étais plus jeune.I worked on a farm when I was younger.This sentence is useful for describing past work experience using quand j'étais plus jeune.Tatoeba #11071276 by Aiji, translation #4011547 by CK
- J'ai fait un peu de mannequinat quand j'étais plus jeune.I did some modeling when I was younger.This sentence is useful for mentioning past modeling work using quand j'étais plus jeune.Tatoeba #9762100 by lbdx, translation #3735519 by CK
- Quand j'étais plus jeune, j'aimais lire des livresWhen I was younger, I used to love reading books
- À l'époque où j'étais jeune, je pratiquais beaucoup de sportsAt the time when I was young, I used to play a lot of sports
- Quand j'étais gamine, je jouais souvent avec mes cousinsWhen I was a kid, I used to play often with my cousins
- À l'époque, quand j'étais jeune, on jouait souvent au football dans la rueAt the time, when I was young, we used to play football often in the street
- Quand j'étais plus jeune, je passais mes vacances à la campagne et j'aidais mes grands-parents à travailler dans leur jardinWhen I was younger, I spent my vacations in the countryside and helped my grandparents work in their garden
- Quand j'étais gamin, je collectionnais les timbres et je les classais méthodiquement dans des albumsWhen I was a kid, I used to collect stamps and methodically organize them in albums
- Dans ma jeunesse, je chantais dans une chorale et j'ai même participé à quelques concoursIn my youth, I used to sing in a choir, and I even took part in a few competitions
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are talking about their childhood hobbies.
- LucasJe jouais beaucoup au foot quand j'étais plus jeune.I played football a lot when I was younger.
- ChloéMoi, je préférais lire des livres.Me, I preferred reading books.
- LucasC'est vrai, tu étais très calme quand j'étais plus jeune.That's true, you were very quiet when I was younger.
- ChloéOn a tous un peu changé !We have all changed a bit!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
