Year 11 - French
Je sortais la poubelle quand ... :perfect, imperfect, relative clauses, negation
Popular culture: La vie quotidienne
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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 focuses on mastering the use of reflexive pronouns and verbs. It also revisits perfect and imperfect tenses, relative clauses and negation, and introduces the past participles of modal verbs. There is a further focus on avant de + infinitive and après avoir + past participle.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to talk about past events using the imperfect tense and the perfect tense, relative clauses and negation.
Key Notes
- The imperfect tense is used to describe what 'was happening' or what you 'were doing' when something else happened.
- Form the imperfect by removing -ons from 'nous' present tense and adding:-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
- Où and quand can be used in relative clauses to detail where or when something was happening.
- For 'neither...nor', ne precedes the verb and each ni precedes one of the negated qualities/nouns.
- Ne ... que means 'only'. 'Que' follows the verb and precedes the noun that is limited.
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
- relative pronoun: a pronoun that introduces a relative clause
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The imperfect tense is only used to describe how things were or used to be in the past.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The imperfect tense is used to describe what 'was happening' or what you 'were doing' when something else happened. Form the imperfect by removing -ons from 'nous' present tense and adding:-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
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: The imperfect tense is only used to describe how things were or used to be in the past. Correction: The imperfect tense is also used to say what was happening when another thing occurred where it is used in combination with the perfect tense e.g. il regardait la télé quand son portable a sonné.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Après avoir préparé : 'après avoir' + past participle Study Guide
- Avant de passer un examen : prepositions with the infinitive Study Guide
- Ils m'inspirent : extended writing Study Guide
- Ils s'entendent bien : reflexive pronouns Study Guide
- J'ai dû attendre : irregular past participles, modal verbs present and past Study Guide
- La vie quotidienne : perfect and imperfect tenses, relative clauses and negation Study Guide
- On a fait les courses : irregular past participles, perfect tense modal verbs Study Guide
- On est prêt à tout : avant de, après avoir Study Guide
- On fait les magasins et les courses : extending vocabulary Study Guide
- On peut acheter : present tense modal verbs Study Guide
- Qui a fait le ménage ? Perfect tense, relative clauses, negation Study Guide
- Une journée dans la vie d'un groupe francophone : reflexive pronouns Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 11 French guide library.