Geneva: 'il y a' and 'il y avait'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use 'il y a' and 'il y avait' in French to express what there is/are or what there was/were on holiday.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- French vowel sounds can be open or closed. The closed [eu] sound is like the [eu] in 'peu'.
- The open [eu/œu] sound is in the word 'cœur'.
- A pronounced consonant follows an open [eu/œu] sound, for example 'fleur' or 'jeune'.
- To express there is or are, we use the expression 'il y a'. To express there was or were, we use 'il y avait'.
- Both of these remain the same for singular or plural noun descriptions e.g. il y avait un chien, il y avait cinq chats.
Keywords
Open [eu/œu] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [eu/œu] in 'cœur' which means 'heart'
Closed [eu] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [eu] in 'peu' which means 'few'
Il y a - French expression meaning 'there is' or 'there are'
Il y avait - French expression meaning 'there was' or 'there were'
Common misconception
'Il y a' and 'il y avait' mean there is and there was in descriptions of singular things.
'Il y a' and 'il y avait' mean there is or there are and there was and there were. They stay the same if you are talking about one thing or more than one.
Teacher tip
Whiteboards are recommended for this lesson, especially in the checks for understanding on slides 35-37.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.French vowel sounds can be closed or .
Q2.Tick the words which contain the closed [eu] sound.
Q3.Put the second 6 months of the year in order.
Q4.Match the English to the French.
Q5.Which of the following words are possessive adjectives?
Q6.What does the expression 'il y a' mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these words contains the open [eu/œu] sound?
Q2.Complete the sentence. A pronounced follows an open [eu/œu] sound, for example 'cœur' or 'jeune'.
Q3.Match the sentences to their missing possessive adjective.
Q4.Match the French to the English.
Q5.The expression 'il y avait' means there was and .
Q6.Which of the following sentences describe something in the past?
To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: Geneva: 'il y a' and 'il y avait', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: Geneva: 'il y a' and 'il y avait', 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 Past experiences: -ER verbs in the present and past unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.