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Year 9 - French

Senegal: modals, 'il faut', possessive adjectives

People and places: present and perfect tense

Unit Summary

Pupils revisit present and perfect tenses, two verb structures after aller, aimer and modal verbs and inversion questions in single and two-verb structures. The verb croire is introduced in singular persons, and feminine and plural noun formation and possessive adjectives are revised and extended.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to form sentences about Sénégal using modal verbs, adjectives, the verbs 'croire' and 'connaitre' and possessive adjectives.

Key Notes

  • Senegal is a postcolonial West African nation. French as an official language coexists with many national languages.
  • 'Devoir', 'pouvoir', 'vouloir' and 'savoir' are modal verbs and they are followed by infinitives.
  • We use 'devoir' to say what someone must or has to do. Another way to show necessity is to use 'il faut'.
  • Adjectives ending in -if change to -ive in the feminine form.
  • Possessive adjectives show who things belong to. They change to agree with the gender and number of the noun.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • modal verb: verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, e.g. 'must', 'can', 'want'
  • feminine: form of an adjective that describes a girl, woman or feminine noun
  • croire: French verb meaning 'to believe'
  • connaitre: French verb meaning 'to know'
  • possessive adjective: a word that goes before a noun to show ownership or belonging

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The 'il' in 'il faut' means 'he'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Senegal is a postcolonial West African nation. French as an official language coexists with many national languages. 'Devoir', 'pouvoir', 'vouloir' and 'savoir' are modal verbs and they are followed by infinitives.

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

verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, e.g. 'must', 'can', 'want'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The 'il' in 'il faut' means 'he'. Correction: 'Il faut' is from the impersonal verb 'falloir' - 'to be necessary'. 'Il' does not mean 'he'; we translate 'il faut' as 'it is necessary' or 'you must'. It works like a modal verb in that it is usually followed by a 2nd verb in the infinitive form.

More Lessons In This Unit

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