New
New
Travel in France: more infinitive uses
Learning outcomes
I can use infinitives to describe an activity or an action in French.
I can pronounce words ending in -ique.
Lesson 2 of 8
New
New
- Year 9
Travel in France: more infinitive uses
Learning outcomes
I can use infinitives to describe an activity or an action in French.
I can pronounce words ending in -ique.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- Words ending in -ique in French are often cognates with words ending in -ical in English: historique - historical.
- An infinitive can be used as the subject of a sentence to express an activity (like a noun): conduire, c'est difficile.
- Infinitives are also frequently used after modal verbs or 'aimer' and 'aller': il doit conduire dans la neige.
- The infinitive is translated in the -ing form in English when used as a noun and as 'to …' when after a modal verb.
- Use the infinitive after 'pour' to say why someone is doing something and after 'sans' to say 'without doing something'.
Keywords
[qu] - pronounced as in 'question'
Infinitive - form of the verb giving its general meaning, with no subject or tense
Pour - preposition meaning 'for'
Sans - preposition meaning 'without'
Common misconception
There is only one translation of a French infinitive into English.
An infinitive can be translated into English using the -ing form or 'to ...': conduire - to drive, driving.
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Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following French words is a cognate of the English word historic?
Which of the following French words is a cognate of the English word historic?
entreprise
roman
château
Q2.Match the French verb to its English meaning.
Match the French verb to its English meaning.
Q3.Conjugate the verb regarder (to watch) to make the sentence 'I watch'.
Conjugate the verb regarder (to watch) to make the sentence 'I watch'.
Q4.What is the infinitive form of a verb?
What is the infinitive form of a verb?
A verb that shows who is doing the action.
A verb that is in the past tense.
Q5.Which sentence uses an infinitive as the subject of the sentence?
Which sentence uses an infinitive as the subject of the sentence?
Je regarde un film.
Regardez la télé.
Ils regardent un match.
Q6.Fill in the gap to complete the sentence to mean 'They have to wait' . Ils attendre.
Fill in the gap to complete the sentence to mean 'They have to wait' . Ils attendre.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which English word is a cognate of the French word fantastique?
Which English word is a cognate of the French word fantastique?
fancy
fantasy
fascinating
Q2.Match each French sentence to its correct English meaning.
Match each French sentence to its correct English meaning.
Q3.Put the parts in the correct order to form this sentence: 'He practises to prevent mistakes'.
Put the parts in the correct order to form this sentence: 'He practises to prevent mistakes'.
Q4.Which sentence correctly uses an infinitive as the subject?
Which sentence correctly uses an infinitive as the subject?
Nous devons respecter les règles.
Elle veut descendre la piste.
Ils doivent pratiquer tous les jours.
Q5.'Conduire' is the French for 'to drive' How else could it be translated in English?
'Conduire' is the French for 'to drive' How else could it be translated in English?
