Year 9 - French
Montreal - a diverse city: imperfect tense singular
How things used to be: imperfect tense, ordinal numbers
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils are introduced firstly to -er verbs in the imperfect tense to describe habitual events in the past. The imperfect of common irregular verbs is added, before pupils then contrast one-off and habitual events with the perfect vs imperfect tenses, practising this with known and new vocabulary.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use all singular forms of the imperfect tense to talk about cultural diversity in Montreal.
Key Notes
- The pronunciation difference between [é] in the perfect tense + [ai] in the imperfect tense greatly alters meaning.
- [ai] is pronounced as in vrai'; [é] is pronounced as in 'écrire'.
- Languages are not fixed; new words enter the language constantly whilst other words fall out of use.
- The 'tu' form of the imperfect tense is formed like the 'je' form (present tense nous form, remove -ons, add -ais).
Vocabulary To Learn
- [ai]: pronounced as in 'vrai'
- imperfect tense: tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- [ai] and [é] sound the same in French.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The pronunciation difference between [é] in the perfect tense + [ai] in the imperfect tense greatly alters meaning. [ai] is pronounced as in vrai'; [é] is pronounced as in 'écrire'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[ai]'
pronounced as in 'vrai'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: [ai] and [é] sound the same in French. Correction: In some regional accents [ai] and [é] can sound similar. Officially there is a difference in pronunciation and meaning as the ending of the imperfect tense is supposed to be pronounced [ai], whereas a common ending of the past participle is [é].
More Lessons In This Unit
- Celebrities: perfect and imperfect Study Guide
- Childhood: present and imperfect tenses, 'il y a' meaning 'ago' Study Guide
- Childhood: then and now: key - RE and -IR verbs in the imperfect tense Study Guide
- Montreal - habitual and one-off past events: imperfect and perfect Study Guide
- Primary and secondary school: -er verbs imperfect tense, ordinal numbers Study Guide
- School in France - then and now: -er verbs imperfect tense Study Guide
- Spring holidays: perfect tense with 'être', pronouns 'moi', 'toi', 'qui' Study Guide
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