French: three tenses that carry the whole exam
Examiners look for a range of tenses used accurately. Three tenses, secure, beat six tenses guessed at.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Use present, past and future tenses accurately and translate between French and English.
Key learning points
- • Present tense
- • Perfect tense
- • Near and simple future
- • Opinions with a reason
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 17 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 17
Watch first
French: three tenses that carry the whole exam
An English teaching video on this topic from Learn French With Alexa. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Use present, past and future tenses accurately and translate between French and English.
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 17
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Present tense
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 17
Learn
Present tense
Regular -er, -ir and -re verbs follow set endings: je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent. Learn avoir, être, aller and faire as irregular verbs first, because they also build other tenses.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 17
Learn
Perfect tense
Formed with avoir or être in the present plus a past participle: j'ai regardé, nous avons fini, elle a vendu. Verbs of movement and all reflexives take être and the participle agrees with the subject: elle est allée, nous nous sommes levés.
Quick check
Part 5 of 17
Quick check
Which auxiliary does 'aller' take in the perfect tense?
Quick check
Part 6 of 17
Quick check
What is the near future of 'visiter' for 'je'?
Learning cycle
Part 7 of 17
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Near and simple future
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Reset break
Part 8 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 9 of 17
Learn
Near and simple future
The near future uses aller plus an infinitive: je vais visiter. The simple future adds endings to the infinitive: je visiterai, tu visiteras. The near future is easier to use accurately in speaking; keep the simple future for writing where you can check it.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 17
Learn
Opinions with a reason
Never leave an opinion bare. Use je pense que, à mon avis, ce qui me plaît, c'est que, and justify with parce que or car. Add a connective such as cependant or de plus to extend, and you move from a basic to a developed response.
Quick check
Part 11 of 17
Quick check
Which phrase best develops an opinion?
Quick check
Part 12 of 17
Quick check
Why does 'elle est allée' end in -ée?
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 17
Worked example
Model paragraph with three tenses
Normalement, je joue au badminton le samedi matin avec ma sœur parce que c'est un sport rapide et amusant. Le week-end dernier, nous sommes allées au club et j'ai gagné mon premier match, ce qui m'a beaucoup encouragée. L'année prochaine, je vais participer à un tournoi régional, et je pense que je m'entraînerai deux fois par semaine pour être prête. Cependant, à mon avis, le plus important, c'est de rester avec mes amies. — Three tenses, two opinions, one connective and a reason: the structure of a top-band answer.
Challenge round
Part 14 of 17
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 15 of 17
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Learn avoir, être, aller and faire as irregular verbs first, because they also build other ____.
Formed with avoir or être in the ____ plus a past participle: j'ai regardé, nous avons fini, elle a vendu.
The near ____ uses aller plus an infinitive: je vais visiter.
Mastery quiz
Part 16 of 17
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: French: three tenses that carry the whole exam
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which auxiliary does 'aller' take in the perfect tense?
2. What is the near future of 'visiter' for 'je'?
3. Which phrase best develops an opinion?
4. Why does 'elle est allée' end in -ée?
Lesson round-up
Part 17 of 17
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
Not played
Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
Une journée à Lyon
Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.
J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.
L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.
Original text written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
- Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
- Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.
Written practice
WritingWrite the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.
8–10 sentences
Vocabulary page
Working outCopy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.
15 words
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 17 · Watch & discover