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Year 9 - French

Pandemic in France: impersonal expression 'il est + adjective + de'

Future and past events: 2-verb structures with prepositions

Unit Summary

Pupils revisit two-verb structures in the present tense as they talk of decisions for their future. They apply verbs with à and de before an infinitive, the question word quel and demonstrative adjective ce,cet,cette,ces. Impersonal verbs with adjectives + de, and weather expressions are practised.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use impersonal and two-verb infinitive structures to talk about a global health crisis.

Key Notes

  • Cognates may look very similar to English but sound quite different so attention must be paid to pronunciation.
  • Some verbs require à or de before an infinitive e.g. aider à, arrêter de. Some like 'continuer' can have à or de.
  • There are two correct spellings with identical pronunciation for the singular forms of 'essayer'; 'essaie' and 'essaye'.
  • 'On' is an impersonal pronoun applying to everyone.
  • il est + adjective + de + infinitive can be used to express it is difficult/easy/forbidden to + a verb.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • impersonal verb: verb that doesn't refer to a particular person or thing, and whose subject is most often 'il' (it)

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • 'Il est' always means 'he is'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Cognates may look very similar to English but sound quite different so attention must be paid to pronunciation. Some verbs require à or de before an infinitive e.g. aider à, arrêter de. Some like 'continuer' can have à or de.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'impersonal verb'

verb that doesn't refer to a particular person or thing, and whose subject is most often 'il' (it). Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: 'Il est' always means 'he is'. Correction: 'Il est' can be used as an impersonal verb where 'il' means 'it' and is not referring to a specific thing but talking about 'it' in general. e.g. 'Il est difficile de croire' means 'It is difficult to believe'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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