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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Que faisais-tu quand ... ? : the imperfect tense with regular verbs ('BE' + ing)

Learning outcomes

I can describe what I and others 'were doing' and what 'was happening' using the imperfect tense.

I can recognise, write and pronounce [ai], [on] and [ez].

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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Que faisais-tu quand ... ? : the imperfect tense with regular verbs ('BE' + ing)

Learning outcomes

I can describe what I and others 'were doing' and what 'was happening' using the imperfect tense.

I can recognise, write and pronounce [ai], [on] and [ez].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The imperfect tense is used to describe what 'was happening' or what you 'were doing' when something else happened.
  2. For imperfect of regular verbs remove -ons from 'nous' present tense and add:-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
  3. [ai] sounds like 'vrai', [on] is a nasal sound like 'non', and [ez] sounds like 'écrire'.

Keywords

  • Imperfect tense - tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening

  • Sound-symbol correspondence - relationship between letters and their sounds

Common misconception

The ending -aient is pronounced differently to -ais and -ait.

Although the third person plural ending of the imperfect tense contains a lot of letters, it is pronounced the same way as -ais and -ait. Students will need a lot of practice saying the -aient ending out loud to become confident with this verb form.


To help you plan your year 10 french lesson on: Que faisais-tu quand ... ? : the imperfect tense with regular verbs ('BE' + ing), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Highlight that the endings -ais, ait and -aient are pronounced alike. When the -aient ending is shown, draw students' attention to it and encourage them to repeat the verb a number of times. Task A2 has two versions of audio file. Use 'subject' for the task and 'conjugated' for feedback.
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Equipment

Mini whiteboards and pens are useful is available.

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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

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which verb is in the imperfect tense?
elle danse
Correct answer: elle dansait
elle a dansé
elle va danser
Q2.
What is the imperfect tense ending for 'tu'?
Correct Answer: ais, -ais
Q3.
What is the 'il,elle' ending in the imperfect tense?
Correct Answer: ait, -ait
Q4.
Match the French and English together.
Correct Answer:je choisissais,I was choosing
tick

I was choosing

Correct Answer:il choisissait,he was choosing
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he was choosing

Correct Answer:tu partais,you were leaving
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you were leaving

Correct Answer:je partais,I was leaving
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I was leaving

Correct Answer:elle entendait,she was hearing
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she was hearing

Correct Answer:il entendait,he was hearing
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he was hearing

Q5.
What verb subject is used to form the imperfect tense?
Correct answer: nous
tu
vous
je
ils
Q6.
Translate the sentence: She was speaking with her friend when the present arrived.
1 - elle
2 - parlait avec
3 - son amie
4 - quand
5 - le cadeau
6 - est
7 - arrivé

6 Questions

Q1.
Choose the correct translation for: je regardais la télé.
I will watch TV.
I am watching TV.
Correct answer: I was watching TV.
I watch TV.
Q2.
Match the subject pronoun to the verb.
Correct Answer:je, tu,écoutais
tick

écoutais

Correct Answer:il, elle,écoutait
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écoutait

Correct Answer:nous,écoutions
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écoutions

Correct Answer:vous,écoutiez
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écoutiez

Correct Answer:ils, elles,écoutaient
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écoutaient

Q3.
Select the imperfect tense endings which are pronounced in the same way.
Correct answer: ais
Correct answer: ait
ions
iez
Correct answer: aient
Q4.
Complete the sentence: The sound-symbol correspondences (SSCs) [ai], [on] and are heard in the endings of the imperfect tense.
Correct Answer: [ez], ez, é, [é]
Q5.
Translate the sentence: I was listening to the radio when phone rang.
1 - j'écoutais
2 - la
3 - radio
4 - quand
5 - le téléphone
6 - a
7 - sonné
Q6.
Match the vocabulary together.
Correct Answer:paresseux,lazy
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lazy

Correct Answer:introduire,to introduce, introducing
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to introduce, introducing

Correct Answer:février,February
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February

Correct Answer:patronne,boss
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boss

Correct Answer:instant,instant, moment
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instant, moment

Correct Answer:mener,to lead, leading
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to lead, leading

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