New
New
Historical figures: imperfect tense
I can use the imperfect tense in the singular forms to understand and describe historic figures.
Lesson 2 of 5
New
New
- Year 9
Historical figures: imperfect tense
I can use the imperfect tense in the singular forms to understand and describe historic figures.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The imperfect tense is used to talk about things that used to happen regularly in the past.
- To form, take the nous form of the present tense, remove -ons, add -ais (1st/2nd persons) or -ait (3rd persons).
- The imperfect tense of il y a is il y avait, which means ‘there used to be’ or 'there was/were'.
Keywords
Imperfect tense - tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening
Common misconception
The imperfect tense is always translated as 'used to' in English.
The imperfect tense is often translated as 'used to' in English but sometimes the simple past is used instead to convey repeated past actions.
You may want to use the lesson as an opportunity for students to research other French historical figures, which they could describe for the final writing task.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
Loading...
Some of our videos, including non-English language videos, do not have captions.
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the French and the English.
Match the French and the English.
Q2.How do you say 'as good as' in French?
How do you say 'as good as' in French?
moins bon que
plus bon que
beaucoup plus que
Q3.Put these steps in the correct order to form the imperfect tense.
Put these steps in the correct order to form the imperfect tense.
Q4.What is the stem of 'être' in the imperfect tense?
What is the stem of 'être' in the imperfect tense?
Q5.When is [eu/œu] pronounced with an open sound?
When is [eu/œu] pronounced with an open sound?
When it's followed by a silent consonant
Always
Never
Q6.Translate this sentence into French: He was sick.
Translate this sentence into French: He was sick.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match each French phrase to its English meaning.
Match each French phrase to its English meaning.
Q2.Which sentence best explains when to use the imperfect tense in French?
Which sentence best explains when to use the imperfect tense in French?
to say something will happen in the future
to give commands
to describe one-off actions in the past
to translate 'used to' and nothing else
Q3.Translate: 'There used to be a post office.'
Translate: 'There used to be a post office.'
Q4.Which English sentence is the best translation of 'Il allait à l’hôpital tous les matins'?
Which English sentence is the best translation of 'Il allait à l’hôpital tous les matins'?
He went to the hospital this morning.
He goes to the hospital every morning.
He has gone to the hospital every morning.
Q5.True or False: The imperfect tense in French is always translated as 'used to' in English.
True or False: The imperfect tense in French is always translated as 'used to' in English.
