Historical figures: imperfect tense
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use the imperfect tense in the singular forms to understand and describe historic figures.
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.
Teacher tip
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.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the French and the English.
that/ it
possible
white
care
hello
worse
Q2.How do you say 'as good as' in French?
Q3.Put these steps in the correct order to form the imperfect tense.
Q4.What is the stem of 'être' in the imperfect tense?
Q5.When is [eu/œu] pronounced with an open sound?
Q6.Translate this sentence into French: He was sick.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match each French phrase to its English meaning.
there was a fire
thre is a fire
there was a match
there is a match
Q2.Which sentence best explains when to use the imperfect tense in French?
Q3.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'?
Q5.True or False: The imperfect tense in French is always translated as 'used to' in English.
To help you plan your 9 French lesson on: Historical figures: imperfect tense, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 French lesson on: Historical figures: imperfect tense, 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 Ongoing past events: imperfect tense unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.