Year 10 - French
La transformation des villes : imperfect of être, avoir and faire
My neighbourhood: Là où j'habite
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit develops knowledge of the imperfect tense by focusing on the irregular verbs avoir, être and faire. The prepositions sans, pour and avant are also revisited, along with the use of emphatic pronouns (such as moi, toi, lui) after prepositions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe the changes taking place in towns using the imperfect and present tenses to contrast past and present.
Key Notes
- The imperfect tense is used to describe how something or someone 'used to' be and what regularly happened in the past.
- 'il y avait' is the imperfect tense form of 'il y a', and means 'there used to be'.
- When a word ending in a normally silent consonant is followed by a mute 'h', the consonant is heard in liaison.
Vocabulary To Learn
- imperfect tense: tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening
- simple present: describes habitual events in the present: 'I do'
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- When speaking or writing about what you did regularly in the past, use the perfect tense to state the action of the sentence.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The imperfect tense is used to describe how something or someone 'used to' be and what regularly happened in the past. 'il y avait' is the imperfect tense form of 'il y a', and means 'there used to be'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'imperfect tense'
tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: When speaking or writing about what you did regularly in the past, use the perfect tense to state the action of the sentence. Correction: When speaking or writing about what you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect tense to state the action. This is because you are talking about something that didn't have a clear start and end point. Perfect tense is not appropriate.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Chez moi, chez toi : prepositions and emphatic pronouns 'moi', 'toi' ... Study Guide
- Découvrir d'autres pays : prepositions and emphatic pronouns 'nous' and 'vous' Study Guide
- Découvrir de grandes villes : prepositions and emphatic pronouns nous and vous Study Guide
- La vie en ville : extended writing and speaking, photo description Study Guide
- La vie quotidienne ici et ailleurs : extended speaking and writing Study Guide
- Ma ville avant : imperfect of 'être', 'avoir' and 'faire' Study Guide
- Ma ville, mon pays : prepositions and emphatic pronouns lui, elle, eux, elles Study Guide
- Où habiter : extended writing Study Guide
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