New
New
Actions: singular -er verbs in simple present and present continuous
Learning outcomes
I can use the present tense to describe activities that I do and am doing.
I can recognise and pronounce [tion].
Lesson 5 of 6
New
New
- Year 7
Actions: singular -er verbs in simple present and present continuous
Learning outcomes
I can use the present tense to describe activities that I do and am doing.
I can recognise and pronounce [tion].
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- [tion] sounds like 'attention'.
- There is only one present tense in French which conveys the simple and continuous present tenses in English.
- The preposition à means 'to' as well as 'at' and follows the verbs 'donner', 'parler' and 'demander'.
- There is not always a translation ncessary for 'à' in English but it should never be omitted in French .
Keywords
[tion] - pronounced as in ‘attention’
Simple present - describes habitual events in the present: 'I do'
Present continuous - describes events happening right now: 'I am doing'
Common misconception
Like in English, French has two present tenses.
There is no 'be -ing' in French. There is only one present tense for both the simple present and continuous present.
When adapting any of the tasks practising à, it will only work with feminine nouns or nouns beginning with a vowel unless you also want to bring in an explanation of à + le = au and à + les = aux at this point.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Tick all the words with the sounds [ai] and [oi].
Tick all the words with the sounds [ai] and [oi].
faux
ordinateur
Q2.Which is the masculine indefinite article?
Which is the masculine indefinite article?
le
la
l'
une
Q3.Match the French and the English.
Match the French and the English.
Q4.Put these nouns in the correct order in French: bedroom, dog, thing, phone, ruler, pet, sky.
Put these nouns in the correct order in French: bedroom, dog, thing, phone, ruler, pet, sky.
Q5.Translate the pronouns and present tense verbs 'I find, you find'.
Translate the pronouns and present tense verbs 'I find, you find'.
Q6.Translate: I like staying. 'J'aime ...
Translate: I like staying. 'J'aime ...
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Tick any correct statements.
Tick any correct statements.
[tion] words sound the same in French and English.
Q2.Match the vocabulary in English and French.
Match the vocabulary in English and French.
Q3.Tick any correct translations of 'à'.
Tick any correct translations of 'à'.
on
or
Q4.Order the sentence 'I'm staying in France at the moment but normally I stay in England'.
Order the sentence 'I'm staying in France at the moment but normally I stay in England'.
Q5.The time adverb 'aujourd'hui' in the sentence 'Elle parle à une amie aujourd'hui' indicates which tense in English?
The time adverb 'aujourd'hui' in the sentence 'Elle parle à une amie aujourd'hui' indicates which tense in English?
