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      Des francophones célèbres: imperative, present participle, writing (Edexcel)

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can understand the imperative and present participles and I can write in detail about famous French speakers.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The imperative is used to give instructions, commands or advice to one or more people.
      2. The imperative exists in second person singular ('tu'), first person plural ('nous') and second person plural ('vous').
      3. French present participle ends in -ant, English present participle ends in -ing.
      4. For present participle, remove -ons from nous form present tense and replace with -ant, e.g. écrire, écrivons, écrivant.
      5. In writing, it is important to communicate accurately but also to include varied and complex language.

      Keywords

      • Imperative - a mood used to tell somebody to do something or give instructions or commands

      • Present participle - verb form that forms the present continuous

      Common misconception

      Always use the infinitive to translate the '-ing' verb form into French.

      The infinitive used as a noun in French translates the idea of 'doing' something, e.g. 'fumer est mauvais' ('smoking is bad'). The present participle translates the present continuous in English, e.g. 'étant célèbre' ('being famous').

      Teacher tip

      The present participle is not required grammar knowledge for Foundation-tier students. Teachers may therefore wish to skip this revision point if not suitable for their students.

      Equipment

      Mini whiteboards and pens are useful, if available.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of these words means 'differently'?

      apparemment
      Correct answer: différemment
      uniquement
      réellement
      totalement

      Q2.
      Match the negatives.

      Correct Answer:ne - pas,not

      not

      Correct Answer:ne - jamais,never

      never

      Correct Answer:ne - ni - ni,neither - nor

      neither - nor

      Correct Answer:ne - personne,no one

      no one

      Correct Answer:ne - plus,no more

      no more

      Correct Answer:ne - rien,nothing

      nothing

      Q3.
      What is the correct answer to this question? Quel âge as-tu?

      Correct Answer: tight

      Q4.
      Match the parts of the verb 'être'.

      Correct Answer:Je,serai

      serai

      Correct Answer:Tu,seras

      seras

      Correct Answer:Il/elle,sera

      sera

      Correct Answer:Nous,serons

      serons

      Correct Answer:Vous,serez

      serez

      Correct Answer:Ils/elles,seront

      seront

      Q5.
      Write the French for 'almost, nearly'.

      Correct Answer: presque

      Q6.
      Order the words to form a sentence.

      1 - parmi
      2 - les célébrités francophones
      3 - les plus populaires
      4 - aujourd'hui,
      5 - on
      6 - trouve
      7 - Aya Nakamura

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      'Je vais aller en ligne pour des billets.' Choose the correct verb.

      achète
      achetais
      Correct answer: acheter
      acheté
      acheterai

      Q2.
      Which of these sentences refer to the future?

      Je suis chez moi.
      Correct answer: Je vais porter un pantalon moulant.
      Correct answer: Je voudrais partir en Allemagne.
      Correct answer: J'ai l'intention de continuer ma carrière.
      Je suis allé en France.

      Q3.
      Match the present participles.

      Correct Answer:ayant,having

      having

      Correct Answer:étant,being

      being

      Correct Answer:faisant,doing, making

      doing, making

      Correct Answer:allant,going

      going

      Correct Answer:chantant,singing

      singing

      Correct Answer:échappant,escaping

      escaping

      Q4.
      Order the words to form a sentence.

      1 - je
      2 - fais
      3 - mes
      4 - devoirs
      5 - en
      6 - écoutant
      7 - la musique

      Q5.
      'Je mange la télé.' - 'I eat while watching TV'. Write the correct missing word(s).

      Correct Answer: en regardant

      Q6.
      Translate into English: 'Soyez prudents sur la route'.

      Correct Answer: be careful on the road, take care on the road

      To help you plan your 11 French lesson on: Des francophones célèbres: imperative, present participle, writing (Edexcel), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...