How close are you as a family? We talked to Corinne Mathieu, from Montpellier, France about her family life.

1.‘We usually see each other at least once a month, maybe more often. We have lunch together on Sunday if we haven’t got anything special to do. We live in Montpellier, which is about an hour and a half away, but we always come to Marseilles where my mother and father live. It’s not so far. Usually my grandmother and my uncle and aunt are there too – we re quite a large family! Sometimes my brother and his girlfriend come over – they live nearby. The meal takes about four hours, we spend a lot of time chatting and there’s always lots to eat.

2.‘There’s no one we call the head of the family, although my father’s advice and opinion are very important in any decisions we take. My uncle Tony is in fact older than my father, so I suppose he’s the real head of the family. When my grandfather was alive he liked to think that the whole family organized itself around him, but these days it’s different but we all try to discuss things together when we meet.

3.‘In most families, it’s a small family group who live in the same house, mother, father and the children before they get married. But if one of the grandparents dies, the other usually sells their home and goes to live with their children. So it’s quite common to have one grandparent living with you, but not more.

4.‘In France most children leave home when they get married, and not before. I lived in Marseilles with my mother and father until I got married. But there are some people who want to lead independent lives and they find a flat as soon as they start their first job, even before they get married. Of course, the main problem is flats are so expensive to rent here, and we simply have to live with our parents.’

Read the text 5 and match the questions with each paragraph. There is one extra question.

a.Who’s the head of the family?

b.How often does the family get together?

c.How many people live in your house?

d.How long do people live with their parents?

e.How many people live in the same house?

Which paragraphs give specific information about Corinne’s family? Which paragraphs give more general information?

Complete a family tree ...

Task

a) Make a family tree for your family. Write in the names of six people.

b) Decide which extra information you can give about each person. Don’t write it down!

Ask your teacher for any words or phrases you need.

a) my mother b) my father

c) my brother

Complete the gaps.

a) My father is my mother’s …husband……..

b) My mother’s mother is my..........................

c) My mother’s brother is my..........................

d) My sister is my father’s..........................

e) My mother and father are my..........................