Primary and secondary school: -er verbs imperfect tense, ordinal numbers
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use the first and third persons of the imperfect tense to talk about how I've changed in the context of school.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- Ordinal numbers are used to describe the order in which things happen e.g. the fourth year, the sixth lesson.
- To make French ordinal numbers, add the suffix 'ième'. Remove the -e from numbers ending -e first and add 'u' to 'cinq'.
- 'First' (premier/première) is an exception but 'twenty-first' follows the normal pattern 'le vingt-et-unième'.
- To form the imperfect tense for 'il/elle/on', take the present tense 'nous' form, remove 'ons' and add -ait.
Keywords
Ordinal number - a number defining the position of something in a series, such as ‘first’, ‘second’, or ‘third’
Imperfect tense - tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past.
Common misconception
Add 'ième' to make all ordinal numbers.
Add 'ième' to make the majority of ordinal numbers but 'first' (premier/première) is an exception and cardinal numbers ending -e, drop the final -e before adding 'ième'. There are a few other spelling exceptions like 'neuvième' and 'cinquième'.
Teacher tip
Teachers may find it useful to include short starter activities most lessons, e.g. using mini whiteboards, to revisit verb meanings and forms, as without plentiful practice, many pupils find these harder to retain over time than nouns or adjectives.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the French numbers to their English meaning.
20
30
60
40
50
Q2.Which sentence is written in the imperfect tense which is used to describe how things used to be?
Q3.Put these French school years in order from the youngest to the oldest.
Q4.Match the French word to its English meaning.
system
to last, lasting
health
knowledge
skill
Q5.Use the verb pratiquer (to practise). Write a sentence in French saying: 'I used to practise'.
Q6.In which of these words is the letter 's' pronounced like the 's' in maison (a soft /z/ sound)?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the ordinal number in French to the correct English meaning.
2nd
4th
5th
3rd
6th
Q2.How would you write 'twenty-first' as an ordinal number in French?
Q3.Write: 'The film used to last a long time' in French using the imperfect tense. Use durer and longtemps.
Q4.Write: 'He used to ask a question' in French using the verb poser.
To help you plan your 9 French lesson on: Primary and secondary school: -er verbs imperfect tense, ordinal numbers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 French lesson on: Primary and secondary school: -er verbs imperfect tense, ordinal numbers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 French lessons from the How things used to be: imperfect tense, ordinal numbers unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.