Year 10 - French
Ce week-end: impersonal verbs
My personal world: Mes amis
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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 introduces verbs that follow the pattern of connaître in the present and perfect tense and extends pupils' use of impersonal verbs. It also develops mastery of the imperfect tense of regular verbs, set in the context of past and present friendships and activities.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use impersonal verbs to tell the time, describe weather, say what there is and what is necessary in the context of making plans.
Key Notes
- An impersonal verb is a verb and subject that don't refer to a particular person or thing.
- To say what time it is use impersonal verb il est + number + heure (s) + minutes.
- Il est + adjective + de + infinitive can be used to express it is difficult/easy/forbidden to + a verb.
- Il fait (with weather expressions), il y a (there is/are) and il faut (it is necessary) are useful impersonal verbs.
- [y] and [i] sounds like 'midi' and 'physique'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- impersonal verb: a verb that doesn't refer to a particular person or thing, and whose subject is most often 'il' (it)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The subject pronoun 'il' always means 'he'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
An impersonal verb is a verb and subject that don't refer to a particular person or thing. To say what time it is use impersonal verb il est + number + heure (s) + minutes.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'impersonal verb'
a verb that doesn't refer to a particular person or thing, and whose subject is most often 'il' (it). Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: The subject pronoun 'il' always means 'he'. Correction: There are a number of impersonal verbs such as 'il faut', 'il neige' and 'il pleut'. Verbs such as 'il fait' and 'il est' can also be used in an impersonal sense. In these cases, the English meaning is 'it' or impersonal 'you', 'we' as appropriate.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Activités avant et aujourd'hui: extended speaking, photo description Study Guide
- Avec mes amis : extended writing and speaking Study Guide
- Avec mes amis: verbs like connaitre in present and perfect tense Study Guide
- On se retrouve : impersonal verbs Study Guide
- Projets pour le week-end: extended writing and speaking Study Guide
- Quand j'étais petit : the imperfect tense with regular verbs ('used to') Study Guide
- Que faisais-tu quand ... ? The imperfect tense with regular verbs ('be' + ing) Study Guide
- Une rencontre : verbs like 'connaitre' in present tense Study Guide
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