icon-background-square
New
New
Year 3

In-class activities: translating -er infinitive verbs into English

Learning outcomes

I can understand and translate correctly a number of -er verbs talking about classroom activities.

I can distinguish [e] from [é] / [er] when listening.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 3

In-class activities: translating -er infinitive verbs into English

Learning outcomes

I can understand and translate correctly a number of -er verbs talking about classroom activities.

I can distinguish [e] from [é] / [er] when listening.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The sound-symbol correspondence [é] can be contrasted for practice with the sound [e].
  2. French infinitive verbs translate two ways into English, e.g., ‘to sing’ and ‘singing’.
  3. Practising word recall often helps to secure word knowledge.

Keywords

  • [é] and [er] - are pronounced the same as in 'répéter'

  • [e] - is pronounced the same as in 'cheval'

  • Infinitive - form of the verb giving its general meaning

Common misconception

[é] and [er] make the same sound as [e].

[é] and [er] make the same sound, which is different from [e].

Don't hesitate to (over)exaggerate your mouth movements when pronouncing French sounds, especially the vowels, to emphasise how clearly they're articulated and make the difference between the [é] and [e] sounds.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Some of our videos, including non-English language videos, do not have captions.

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? [é] and [er] make the same sound.
Correct answer: true
false
Q2.
'Chanter', 'répéter' and 'utiliser' are all ...
nouns.
articles.
conjunctions.
Correct answer: verbs.
pronouns.
Q3.
What is an infinitive?
a word that gives information about a noun
a word that communicates actions or states
Correct answer: the general meaning of a verb
a word for a person, place, or thing
a word with the same meaning and same or similar spelling in English and French
Q4.
Which of these words are infinitives?
suis
Correct answer: répéter
Correct answer: chanter
as
Correct answer: utiliser
Q5.
Match the following words or phrases to their correct French translations.
Correct Answer:you have,tu as
tick

tu as

Correct Answer:a rubber,une gomme
tick

une gomme

Correct Answer:a book,un livre
tick

un livre

Correct Answer:a ruler,une règle
tick

une règle

Correct Answer:with,avec
tick

avec

Correct Answer:easy,facile
tick

facile

Q6.
What is the correct translation of the sentence 'C'est important de parler en classe.'?
It's important to write in class.
I speak in class, it's important.
Writing in class is important.
Correct answer: It's important to speak in class.
It's useful to speak in class.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these words have the [é] and [er] sounds?
cheval
Correct answer: répéter
Correct answer: utiliser
règle
phrase
Q2.
Match the following French verbs to the correct English translations.
Correct Answer:utiliser,to use, using
tick

to use, using

Correct Answer:parler,to speak, speaking
tick

to speak, speaking

Correct Answer:écouter,to listen, listening
tick

to listen, listening

Correct Answer:répéter,to repeat, repeating
tick

to repeat, repeating

Correct Answer:chanter,to sing, singing
tick

to sing, singing

Q3.
Put the following words in the correct order to form an appropriate French sentence.
1 - tu
2 - as
3 - une
4 - règle
Q4.
How many ways are there to translate a French infinitive into English?
one
Correct answer: two
three
four
Q5.
Fill in the missing word in the following sequence: , mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche.
Correct Answer: lundi
Q6.
Which of the following adjectives describe something feminine?
importante
Correct answer: facile
Correct answer: normal

Additional material

Download additional material