Year 8 - French
Switzerland: perfect tense singular -er verbs
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 use singular -er verbs in the perfect tense to express what you and others did in the past.
Key Notes
- French vowel sounds can be open or closed. The closed [eu] sound is like the [eu] in 'peu'.
- The open [eu/œu] sound is in the word 'cœur'.
- In French, Switzerland is 'la Suisse' and 'Genève' (Geneva) is one of its major cities.
- The 'il, elle' form of the perfect tense uses 'il, elle a' and the past participle to express what he or she did.
- When using different verb forms in the perfect tense, the form of 'avoir' changes, not the past participle.
Vocabulary To Learn
- closed [eu]: sound-symbol correspondence like the [eu] in 'peu' which means 'few'
- open [eu/œu]: sound-symbol correspondence like the [œu] in 'cœur' which means 'heart'
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The closed [eu] and the open [eu/œu] sounds are the same.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
French vowel sounds can be open or closed. The closed [eu] sound is like the [eu] in 'peu'. The open [eu/œu] sound is in the word 'cœur'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'closed [eu]'
sound-symbol correspondence like the [eu] in 'peu' which means 'few'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: The closed [eu] and the open [eu/œu] sounds are the same. Correction: There are open vowel sounds and closed vowel sounds in French. The closed [eu] sound is like the [eu] in 'peu', it is short and sharp. The open [eu/oœu] sound is a longer sound like the [œu] in 'sœur'.
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 negation Study Guide
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