Year 8 - French
Switzerland: perfect tense negation
Past experiences: -ER verbs in the present and past
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
The perfect tense with 'avoir' for -er verbs, faire and dire is extended for all singular forms. Intonation and 'est-ce que' questions and negation in the present and perfect tenses are practised, and 'il y a' is contrasted with 'il y avait'. Open eu,oeu, open o and closed o,ô are taught.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to form negative sentences in the perfect tense and say what you and others did and didn't do on holiday.
Key Notes
- The SSC [au/eau] is in the word 'gauche' which means 'left'.
- The SSC [au/eau] is identical to the closed [o/ô] even though they are spelled differently.
- To make a sentence mean the opposite, we use negation. One way to do this is to use 'ne … pas' around the main verb.
- With two-verb structures like the perfect tense, the 'ne ... pas' surrounds the first verb, the form of 'avoir'.
- There is no one-word equivalent for 'didn't' in French. It is expressed by using 'ne ... pas' and the perfect tense.
Vocabulary To Learn
- closed [o/ô]: sound-symbol correspondence (SSC) like the [o] in 'photo'
- [au/eau]: sound-symbol correspondence (SSC) like the [au] in 'gauche'
- negation: two words, e.g. 'ne … pas', around the main verb negating meaning
- ne … pas: French adverb which fits around the main verb in a sentence to mean 'not'
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- I have to translate 'didn't' into French.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The SSC [au/eau] is in the word 'gauche' which means 'left'. The SSC [au/eau] is identical to the closed [o/ô] even though they are spelled differently.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'closed [o/ô]'
sound-symbol correspondence (SSC) like the [o] in 'photo'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: I have to translate 'didn't' into French. Correction: There is no direct translation for 'didn't' in French. Using 'ne ... pas' with the perfect tense expresses the equivalent of 'didn't' in French.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Astronauts and French cuisine: extended reading Study Guide
- Astronauts and French cuisine: writing an article Study Guide
- Brussels: perfect tense -er verbs 1st and 2nd persons singular Study Guide
- Brussels: perfect tense intonation questions Study Guide
- Geneva: 'il y a' and 'il y avait' Study Guide
- Geneva: perfect tense intonation and 'est-ce' que questions Study Guide
- Switzerland: perfect tense singular -er verbs Study Guide
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