Allons-y ! The imperative
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use the imperative to make suggestions and offer advice for a visit to a Francophone city.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The imperative only exists in second person singular (tu), second person plural (vous), and first person plural (nous).
- The 'tu' form of the imperative is the same as the present tense 'je' form; er verbs end with -e, other verbs with -s.
- When giving directions or instructions to a friend, use the informal imperative ‘tu’ form.
- [oi] sounds like 'trois' and [oy] sounds like 'envoyer'.
- ‘Être’ is irregular in the imperative. The 'tu' form is 'sois' and the 'vous' form is 'soyez'.
Keywords
Imperative - a mood used to tell somebody to do something or give instructions or commands
Common misconception
The imperative can only be used in the 'tu' and 'vous' forms in French, to instruct others to do something.
The imperative can be used in the 'nous' form in French. In this case, the imperative is suggesting what we should do, and is translated as 'let's' in English.
Teacher tip
Task A2 is a listening comprehension task and is broken into two parts. It is designed to create a plausible distractor scenario, enabling practice of the important listening skill of discounting possible question answers that are incorrect based on the overall meaning of the text.
Equipment
A mini whiteboard and pen, as well as pen and paper for making notes, are useful, if available.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each French subject pronoun to its English equivalent.
I
you (informal)
we
you (plural/ formal)
they (feminine)
he
Q2.Match the correct possessive adjective to the noun.
mètre
événements
bibliothèque
Q3.Which is the correct conjugation of 'fermer' (to close) in the present tense for 'nous'?
Q4.Write the informal imperative form of 'démontrer' (to demonstrate) in the second-person singular (tu).
Q5.Where does the direct object pronoun go in the sentence 'Je démontre le courage'? (I demonstrate courage.) How do you say 'I show it' ?
Q6.Complete the sentence: 'Ce pont est cette rue.' (This bridge is bigger than this street.)
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match the Imperative Form with the Correct Subject
talking to one person
talking to a group or to one person formally
including yourself and others in the instruction
Q2.Which of these is the correct 'tu' form of the imperative for 'fermer' (to close)?
Q3.Write an imperative command using 'descendre' to tell a friend to go down.
Q4.The imperative can only be used in the 'tu' and 'vous' forms in French. True or False?
Q5.Match each French word to its English meaning.
religious
easily
equal
everywhere
citizen
To help you plan your 11 French lesson on: Allons-y ! The imperative, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 French lesson on: Allons-y ! The imperative, 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 Lifestyle and wellbeing/Travel and tourism: la culture francophone unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.