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New
Allons-y ! The imperative
I can use the imperative to make suggestions and offer advice for a visit to a Francophone city.
Lesson 1 of 15
New
New
- Year 11
- AQA
Allons-y ! The imperative
I can use the imperative to make suggestions and offer advice for a visit to a Francophone city.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The imperative only exists in second person singular (tu), second person plural (vous), and first person plural (nous).
- The 'tu' form of the imperative is the same as the present tense 'je' form; er verbs end with -e, other verbs with -s.
- When giving directions or instructions to a friend, use the informal imperative ‘tu’ form.
- [oi] sounds like 'trois' and [oy] sounds like 'envoyer'.
- ‘Être’ is irregular in the imperative. The 'tu' form is 'sois' and the 'vous' form is 'soyez'.
Keywords
Imperative - a mood used to tell somebody to do something or give instructions or commands
Common misconception
The imperative can only be used in the 'tu' and 'vous' forms in French, to instruct others to do something.
The imperative can be used in the 'nous' form in French. In this case, the imperative is suggesting what we should do, and is translated as 'let's' in English.
Task A2 is a listening comprehension task and is broken into two parts. It is designed to create a plausible distractor scenario, enabling practice of the important listening skill of discounting possible question answers that are incorrect based on the overall meaning of the text.
Teacher tip
Equipment
A mini whiteboard and pen, as well as pen and paper for making notes, are useful, if available.
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.Match each French subject pronoun to its English equivalent.
Match each French subject pronoun to its English equivalent.
Q2.Match the correct possessive adjective to the noun.
Match the correct possessive adjective to the noun.
Q3.Which is the correct conjugation of 'fermer' (to close) in the present tense for 'nous'?
Which is the correct conjugation of 'fermer' (to close) in the present tense for 'nous'?
Nous fermerez
Nous ferme
Nous fermez
Q4.Write the informal imperative form of 'démontrer' (to demonstrate) in the second-person singular (tu).
Write the informal imperative form of 'démontrer' (to demonstrate) in the second-person singular (tu).
Q5.Where does the direct object pronoun go in the sentence 'Je démontre le courage'? (I demonstrate courage.) How do you say 'I show it' ?
Where does the direct object pronoun go in the sentence 'Je démontre le courage'? (I demonstrate courage.) How do you say 'I show it' ?
Je courage démontre.
Je démontre le.
Je démontre-lui.
Q6.Complete the sentence: 'Ce pont est cette rue.' (This bridge is bigger than this street.)
Complete the sentence: 'Ce pont est cette rue.' (This bridge is bigger than this street.)
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match the Imperative Form with the Correct Subject
Match the Imperative Form with the Correct Subject
Q2.Which of these is the correct 'tu' form of the imperative for 'fermer' (to close)?
Which of these is the correct 'tu' form of the imperative for 'fermer' (to close)?
Fermez !
Fermons !
Fermont !
Q3.Write an imperative command using 'descendre' to tell a friend to go down.
Write an imperative command using 'descendre' to tell a friend to go down.
Q4.The imperative can only be used in the 'tu' and 'vous' forms in French. True or False?
The imperative can only be used in the 'tu' and 'vous' forms in French. True or False?
Q5.Match each French word to its English meaning.
Match each French word to its English meaning.
