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Year 11 - French

J'ai mal ... : irregular verbs in the present tense

People and lifestyle: Faire de bons choix

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils apply previous knowledge of irregular verbs, impersonal verbs, indefinite adjectives, interrogative adjectives and demonstrative adjectives. They will also meet personne ne...+ verb, rien ne...+ verb and the negative adjective determiner aucun.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to understand descriptions of how others are feeling and describe physical problems in a role-play.

Key Notes

  • The verbs voir (to see), boire (to drink), croire (to believe) and faire (to do, make) are irregular in the present.
  • The subject pronouns 'il' and 'elle' can be used for things as well as people, and can be translated as 'it' .
  • The subject pronoun 'on' can be translated as 'we', 'you', 'one' or can refer to people in general.
  • 'avoir mal' is followed by the preposition 'à' and a body part.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • role-play: a task with a situation and prompts to ask and answer questions, simulating a conversation

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The expression 'j'ai mal' only means 'I have a pain'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

The verbs voir (to see), boire (to drink), croire (to believe) and faire (to do, make) are irregular in the present. The subject pronouns 'il' and 'elle' can be used for things as well as people, and can be translated as 'it' .

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'role-play'

a task with a situation and prompts to ask and answer questions, simulating a conversation. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The expression 'j'ai mal' only means 'I have a pain'. Correction: The French expression 'avoir mal' covers a number of symptoms which might be variously translated into English as an ache, a pain and sore or hurting body parts. Students should think about what sounds most natural when translating into English.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 French guide library.