Talking about past, present and future
Three tenses cover almost everything you will want to say. Learn one pattern for each and your French suddenly stretches.
Part of your national curriculum
- Grammar and vocabulary: Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Key learning points
- • Present
- • Perfect past
- • Near future
This lesson at a glance
- 28 minutes
- 17 parts to scroll through
- 3 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
Visual introductionPicture this
Talking about past, present and future
Three tenses cover almost everything you will want to say. Learn one pattern for each and your French suddenly stretches.
In a nutshell
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 17
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Present
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 17
Learn
Present
Regular -er verbs take -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. 'Je regarde' covers both 'I watch' and 'I am watching', so there is no separate continuous form to learn.
Reset break
Part 4 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 4 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 5 of 17
Learn
Perfect past
Use avoir or être plus a past participle: 'j'ai regardé', 'je suis allé(e)'. Verbs of movement take être, and then the participle agrees with the subject.
Quick check
Part 6 of 17
Quick check
Part 7 of 17
Reset break
Part 8 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 4 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.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 17
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Near future
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 17
Learn
Near future
Aller plus an infinitive: 'je vais regarder' — I am going to watch. It is the quickest way to talk about plans without learning the full future tense.
Quick check
Part 11 of 17
Reset break
Part 12 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 4 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.
Challenge round
Part 13 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 14 of 17
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
It is the quickest way to talk about plans without learning the full ____ tense.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 17
Game · Recall cards
Which sentence is in the past?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 16 of 17
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Talking about past, present and future
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which sentence is in the past?
2. The past participle of 'faire' is...
3. How do you say 'I am going to play' in French?
4. What is the past participle of the regular -er verb 'jouer'?
Lesson round-up
Part 17 of 17
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
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Best run
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Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 17 · Watch & discover
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Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied