✈️ Module 4 · ServicesLesson 18 / 306 exercises

Tourism

Have you ever met a tourist in your town? What do visitors think of Tunisia: its beaches, its desert, its food… and its people?

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السياحة · Programme: The present perfect; thanking · Grammar: Present perfect; past participles; That will be…; It’s very nice / kind of you

By the end of this lesson, I can:

  • Use tourism words: boom, amount, progress, comfort, experience, achieve
  • Form the present perfect with have / has + past participle
  • Use the present perfect for experiences (ever / never), changes and news (just, already)
  • Thank people: That’s very kind of you / That will be very nice of you
  • Stress nouns and verbs correctly: a PROgress / to proGRESS

🖼️ Picture dictionary قاموس مصوّر

tap 🔊 to listen
📈boom طفرة / ازدهار سريعThere has been a boom in desert tourism in the south.
⚖️amount كمّية / مقدارA huge amount of money has been spent on new roads.
🚀progress تقدُّمThe town has made a lot of progress in ten years.
🧭to experience يَعيش تجربة / يُجرّبI want to experience life in the desert.
🏆to achieve يُحقِّق / يُنجِزTunisia has achieved a lot in the field of tourism.
🛋️comfort راحةOur hotel room has every comfort: air conditioning, wifi and a balcony.
🧳tourist سائحTourists love the blue and white houses of Sidi Bou Said.
🗺️guide مُرشِد سياحيOur guide told us the history of the amphitheatre.
🏛️monument مَعْلَم أثريThe amphitheatre of El Jem is a famous Roman monument.
🐪desert صحراءWe rode camels in the desert near Douz.
📅to book يَحجِزWe have already booked our hotel for July.
📍destination وِجهةDjerba is a popular destination for families.

📚 كلمات الدرس

12 كلمة من هذا الدرس في القاموس المدرسي: المعنى بالعربية والفرنسية، والنطق، ومثال.

📖 Read: Visitors’ voices from Tunisia أقرأ

A school magazine asked three foreign visitors about their stay in Tunisia.

👩
Hannah, 34, GermanyI have visited Tunisia four times since 2015. Every time, I can see the progress: new roads, cleaner beaches, better hotels. This year I have tried desert camping in Douz. I have never experienced anything so beautiful – the stars were amazing!
👨
Kenji, 41, JapanIt’s my first trip to Africa. I have just arrived from El Jem. I have seen many Roman monuments in Italy, but the amphitheatre there is incredible, and there were almost no crowds! I have already tasted couscous three times.
👵
Maria, 67, ItalyMy husband and I came here for the first time in 1990. Since then, there has been a real boom in tourism. The amount of choice is huge now: golf, spas, Sahara trips, green tourism in the north… But the best thing hasn’t changed: Tunisians are so kind. Yesterday a young man helped me find my way in the medina. I said, “Thank you so much, that’s very kind of you!”

All three agree: Tunisia has achieved a lot, and they all want to come back to enjoy its comfort, its sun and its smiles.

Do you understand? أفهم

Answer in your copybook first, then check.

  1. How many times has Hannah visited Tunisia?
    Answer

    Four times (since 2015).

  2. What has she never experienced before?
    Answer

    Anything as beautiful as desert camping in Douz (the stars).

  3. Where has Kenji just come from?
    Answer

    From El Jem.

  4. What has changed since Maria’s first visit? What hasn’t changed?
    Answer

    There has been a boom in tourism and a huge choice of activities; the kindness of Tunisians hasn’t changed.

  5. How does Maria thank the young man?
    Answer

    “Thank you so much, that’s very kind of you!”

🧩 Grammar القواعد

Form: have / has + past participle ▸ I have visited, she has seen, they haven’t booked, Have you ever been…?

We use the present perfect for:

  1. Experiences (when? not important) with ever / never: Have you ever ridden a camel? – I have never been to Tozeur.
  2. Changes between the past and now: Tourism has grown a lot.
  3. News / recent actions with just, already, recently, yet: The plane has just landed.

⚠️ With a finished time (yesterday, in 1990, last year, ago) use the past simple: Maria came here in 1990.

المضارع التامّ = have/has + اسم المفعول (past participle). نستعمله للتجارب والتغيّرات والأخبار الحديثة، ولا نستعمله مع زمن ماضٍ محدَّد مثل yesterday أو in 2010.

Present perfect or past simple?

Finished time (past simple) vs. past connected to now (present perfect)
pastNOWfutureMaria came in 1990.There has been a boom.Kenji has just arrived.
AffirmativeNegativeQuestion
I / you / we / theyI have (’ve) visitedI haven’t visitedHave you visited…?
he / she / itshe has (’s) visitedshe hasn’t visitedHas she visited…?

Past participles

Regular: verb + -edIrregular: learn them! 📚
visit ▸ visitedbe ▸ been
try ▸ triedsee ▸ seen
enjoy ▸ enjoyedeat ▸ eaten
achieve ▸ achievedgo ▸ gone / been
book ▸ bookedmake ▸ made, take ▸ taken
arrive ▸ arrivedride ▸ ridden, swim ▸ swum
💡 gone or been?

She has gone to Djerba. ▸ she is there now.
She has been to Djerba. ▸ she went and came back (an experience).

Thanking and answering

Thanking 🙏Answering 😊
Thank you very much / so much.You’re welcome.
That’s very kind / nice of you.Not at all. / Don’t mention it.
It’s very kind of you to help me.My pleasure.
That will be very nice of you. (for an offer)It’s nothing.
🔊 Word stress: noun or verb?

Some words change stress: the noun is stressed on the 1st syllable, the verb on the 2nd.
a PROgress ▸ to proGRESS · an INcrease ▸ to inCREASE · an EXport ▸ to exPORT · a CONtrast ▸ to conTRAST

💬 Useful expressions عبارات مفيدة

Talking about experiences

Have you ever been to Tabarka? I’ve never ridden a camel. I’ve visited El Jem twice.

Giving news

The new hotel has just opened. Our guide has already booked the tickets. Tourism has grown a lot.

Thanking

Thank you so much! That’s very kind of you. That will be very nice of you. It’s very nice of you to show me the way.

🔊 Pronunciation النطق

Nouns: stress on syllable 1
PROgressINcreaseEXportCONtrastREcord
Verbs: stress on syllable 2
proGRESSinCREASEexPORTconTRASTreCORD
Same stress for noun and verb
exCHANGEsupPORTVIsitTRAvel

Worked examples أمثلة محلولة

Try first, then read the solution.

Example 1Form the present perfect

Put the verb in the present perfect: “Kenji (taste) couscous three times.”

Step-by-step solution
  1. Subject: Kenji = he ▸ has.
  2. Past participle of taste (regular): tasted.

✓ Kenji has tasted couscous three times.

Example 2Present perfect or past simple?

“We (visit) Carthage last summer.”

Step-by-step solution
  1. “Last summer” is a finished time.
  2. So we use the past simple.

✓ We visited Carthage last summer.

Example 3Ask about an experience

Ask your friend about riding a camel.

Step-by-step solution
  1. Question: Have + you + ever + past participle.
  2. ride ▸ ridden (irregular).

✓ Have you ever ridden a camel?

⚠️ Common mistakes أخطاء شائعة

❌ *I have visited Tozeur last year.*✅ I visited Tozeur last year. ▸ finished time = past simple.
❌ *She have seen the sea.*✅ She has seen the sea. ▸ he / she / it + has.
❌ *Have you ever ate octopus?*✅ Have you ever eaten octopus? ▸ use the past participle, not the past simple.
❌ *That’s very kind for you.*✅ That’s very kind of you.

⭐ Remember أحفظ

  • Present perfect = have / has + past participle.
  • Uses: experiences (ever, never), changes, news (just, already).
  • Finished time (yesterday, in 2010, ago) ▸ past simple.
  • Learn irregular participles: been, seen, eaten, gone, made, taken, ridden.
  • Thanking: That’s very kind of you / That will be very nice of you ▸ You’re welcome.
  • Noun PROgress / verb proGRESS.

Quick quiz اختبار سريع

4 questions · instant feedback

1. Hannah … Tunisia four times.

2. Have you ever … to Kairouan?

3. We … to Djerba in 2019.

4. Someone carries your bag. You say:

✍️ Write: Project step 2: describe your ideal mobile phone أكتب

Continue your blog My Ideal Mobile Phone. Write a short paragraph describing your ideal phone (colour, size, shape, where it is made, special functions) and say what you can do with it. Use the present perfect at least twice to say what phones have changed or what you have (never) done.

Steps
  1. Introduce your phone: name and general look.
  2. Describe colour, size, shape, origin.
  3. List 3–4 things you can do with it (I can use it to…).
  4. Add 2 sentences in the present perfect (changes / experiences).
  5. Add a picture or a drawing next to your text.
0 wordsYour text is saved automatically in this browser.
A model text to compare with (after writing mine)

My ideal mobile phone is called the SkyTalk 9. It is dark blue, thin and rectangular, with round corners, and it is made in Tunisia! It is not too big, so it fits in my pocket. I can use it to call my family, chat with my friends, take photos at night and translate English words instantly. It also has a strong battery that lasts three days. Phones have changed a lot: my grandfather’s first phone could only make calls! I have never had a phone with a solar charger, so my ideal phone has one on the back. It will be perfect for camping in the desert.

One good example among many: compare, don’t copy.

😊 The lighter side استراحة

💡
Proverb

Travel broadens the mind.

🧩
Riddle

What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?

Answer

A stamp.

😄
Joke of the day

A tourist asks a man in a hotel: “Have you ever seen a camel smile?” – “No, but I have seen many tourists smile on camels!”

✅ Exercises تمارين

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6 exercises on three levels, with new questions every time.

Level 2Practice
Level 3Challenge

Practise: Tourism

True or false, complete, choose, classify and situations: instant correction with explanations.

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Pictures: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0). Texts, explanations and exercises: Scolaire.tn.

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