Qui a écrit ... ? Perfect tense with predictable and irregular past participles
I can use the perfect tense with 'avoir' with a range of predictable and irregular past participles to understand past achievements.
Qui a écrit ... ? Perfect tense with predictable and irregular past participles
I can use the perfect tense with 'avoir' with a range of predictable and irregular past participles to understand past achievements.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The perfect tense is formed by combining part of 'avoir' or 'être' (the auxiliary verb) and a past participle.
- Verbs like 'prendre' and 'entendre' in the present form their past participles in the same way: 'pris', 'entendu'.
- Verbs like choisir, partir and venir in the present form their past participles in the same way: choisi, parti, venu.
- Three common irregular verbs and their past participles are: 'avoir' (eu), 'faire' (fait), 'boire' (bu).
Keywords
Auxiliary verb - a form of either 'avoir' or 'être' used to form the perfect tense
Past participle - verb form that forms the perfect tense, together with the auxiliary verb
Irregular - describes a word that does not follow the regular pattern
Common misconception
All French verbs use 'avoir' as the auxiliary to form the perfect tense.
Verbs expressing changes of state, location or condition often use 'être' to form the perfect tense.
Equipment
The teacher may find mini whiteboards and pens useful for the quick checks for understanding.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
to incorporate, to integrate, to include
to surprise, surprising
to tell, to narrate
to describe, describing
to put, to ask
to translate, translating
pauvre
quelques
perte
protection
tour
triste
Exit quiz
6 Questions
regardé
bu
choisi
eu
vendu
pris
to remember, remembering
around
because (formal)
false (f)
word
idea