Year 11 - French
À l'étranger : future and conditional with aller, avoir, être and faire
Studying and my future: À l'avenir
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit is firmly set in the future in a range of different contexts. It revisits the use of the simple future tense and the conditional with vouloir, alongside introducing the conditional forms of regular -er verbs and of the four most common irregular verbs: aller, être, faire and avoir.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use the future and conditional of irregular verbs aller, avoir, être and faire to discuss how, where, when and with whom you would travel.
Key Notes
- The conditional has the same stem as the future tense for irregular verbs avoir, faire, aller and être.
- For the conditional of these verbs we add the imperfect endings to the irregular stems 'aur-', 'ser-', 'ir-' and 'fer-'.
- J'aurais (I would have), j'irais (I would go), je serais (I would be) and je ferais (I would be) are key conditionals.
- Use the preposition 'en' when you want to say what type of vehicle you will use to travel.
Vocabulary To Learn
- conditional: a form of verb that describes what would happen
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- In French, there is a separate word for 'would' that is used with an infinitive to express what someone 'would' do.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The conditional has the same stem as the future tense for irregular verbs avoir, faire, aller and être. For the conditional of these verbs we add the imperfect endings to the irregular stems 'aur-', 'ser-', 'ir-' and 'fer-'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'conditional'
a form of verb that describes what would happen. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: In French, there is a separate word for 'would' that is used with an infinitive to express what someone 'would' do. Correction: The conditional form of verbs expresses 'would' + verb e.g. je visiterais - I would visit. There is no word for 'would' in French.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Avec des si ... : future and conditional with -er verbs (plural) Study Guide
- Ce serait parfait : photo description, extended writing Study Guide
- Futurs divers : future -er verbs (singular), conditional 'vouloir' (singular) Study Guide
- La famille de mes rêves : extended writing Study Guide
- On ira en vacances : future with 'aller', 'avoir', 'être' and 'faire' Study Guide
- Où se loger ? Future and conditional with -er verbs (plural) Study Guide
- Tu aimerais ? Future and conditional with -er verbs (singular) Study Guide
- Village, ville ou ile ? 'Si' + imperfect with conditional -er verbs (plural) Study Guide
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