Ma ville avant : imperfect of 'être', 'avoir' and 'faire'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can talk about what my town used to be like in the past using the imperfect tense of regular and irregular verbs.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- 'avoir' and 'faire' have regular stems in the imperfect tense: 'av-' and 'fais-'.
- 'être' has an irregular stem in the imperfect tense: 'ét-'.
- 'être', 'avoir' and 'faire' have regular endings in the imperfect tense: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
- 'il y avait' is the imperfect tense form of 'il y a', meaning 'there used to be'.
Keywords
Imperfect tense - tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening
Ét- - irregular imperfect stem of 'être' (to be, being)
Common misconception
'Être' is used to translate the phrase 'there used to be'.
Although in English, 'there used to be' has the idea of 'being', this is not the case in French. The phrase 'il y a' means there is but the verb is 'a' which comes from 'avoir'. It's the same with 'there used to be' - 'il y avait'.
Teacher tip
Task B2 has two options. Option 1 is aimed at the majority of students. Option 2 is aimed at those students who may need more support and less complexity in the task.
Equipment
Mini whiteboards and pens are useful if available.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the French and English words linked to appearance and mood.
brown
red
glasses
hair
crazy
worried
Q2.Match the imperfect tense verb endings with the subjects.
-ais
-ait
-ions
-iez
-aient
Q3.Which statement correctly describes the stem needed to create the imperfect tense?
Q4.Which imperfect verb best completes this sentence? 'Ils des bâtiments intéressants avant.'
Q5.Which form should the verb 'reconnaitre' take here? Nous la ville par ses bâtiments dans le passé.'
Q6.Put the words in order to make this sentence: I used to forgive the girls for being crazy.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match the French and English vocabulary.
more (of)
to remember
however
less (of)
full
Q2.Which word is missing in French? 'Il y une vieille poste en ville.' There used to be an old post office in town.
Q3.Which is the correct word order to make this sentence? She used to be more patient in the past.
Q4.Which verb does not use the 'nous' form in the present tense with -ons removed as its imperfect tense stem?
Q5.Which verb spelling is correct here? 'Ils beaucoup de sport avant.' They used to do lots of sport before.
To help you plan your 10 French lesson on: Ma ville avant : imperfect of 'être', 'avoir' and 'faire', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 French lesson on: Ma ville avant : imperfect of 'être', 'avoir' and 'faire', 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 4 French lessons from the My neighbourhood: Là où j'habite unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.