why do grammar - bellahouston academy · web viewwhy do grammar? to be able to understand any...

Why do grammar?

To be able to understand any language and use it confidently, you have to understand

the way the language is made up. This is called grammar.

In this booklet you will be looking at Verbs in the Present tense.

What is a verb ?In a sentence, the verb is the word which tells you what is happening or what action is

taking place.

For example

I play football - the verb is « play »

Before we look at the French verb in more detail, let’s see if you know what the verb

is in English.

In pairs underline the verb in each of the sentence.

I live in Scotland.

My mum is watching the TV.

I have 3 dogs and a cat.

My little brother does his homework every night.

We are going to Spain on holiday.

She is my best friend.

I love chocolate ice-cream.

My brother doesn’t eat fish because he is vegetarian. (there are two verbs here)

Now we are happy with verbs in English, we can begin to look at the French verb.

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Remember ! !

In this booklet we will just be looking at the Present tense of verbs.

So our next question!

What is the present tense?The present tense is used to describe what you ate doing now, or what you do on a

regular basis or for factual information

E.g

I am sitting in my French class (right now)

I play football twice a week (regular event)

London is the capital (fact)

As you will see, in English we have two forms of the present tense “ I am doing, I

do”.

You will be happy to know that in French there is only one way of saying the present

tense, so good news! You only have to learn one form.

Next question – How do we form the present tense in French?

When you learn any verb, or look up any verb in the dictionary you will learn what is

called the INFINTIVE of the verb.

In English the infinitive begins with “to”

e;g to do, to play, to be, to have etc;

in French infinitives end in ;

“er, ir, re” – these are the three groups of verbs.

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To form the present tense in English, we remove the “to” and put the verb after the

different people;

E.g. I play, you play, he plays, she plays, we play , they play

WE NEVER SAY “I TO PLAY” You will notice that for “he and she” we add the letter “s” to the verb. This changing

of the verb is called conjugation of verbs.

In French they do the same thing i.e. there are certain changes in the verb depending

on the person the verb refers to. Before we can look at the changes that take place, we

must all be sure we know the different persons (pronouns).

With a partner try to fill in the French pronouns.

Singular PluralI = We =

You = You =

He = They =

She = They =

One/we =

We can now look at forming the Present tense in French. As previously said, there are

three different endings for the infinitive of French verbs, er, ir, re. We shall begin by

looking at the “er” verbs, the largest group.

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To form the Present tense of REGULAR “er” verbs you complete the following

steps.

1. Remove the “er”

2. Add the following endings “e, es, e, e, e, ons, ez, ent, ent”

Try to complete the English meanings of the verb “habiter”

Habiter – to live

SingularJ’habite =

Tu habites =

Il habite =

Elle habite =

On habite =

Plural Nous habitons =

Vous habitez =

Ils habitent =

Elles habitent =

You will also notice that the “e” of “je” has been replaced by an apostrophe.

Can you think why ?

All REGULAR “er” verbs follow the same pattern and you will come across many

“er” verbs in French.

On the next page, you will see a list of some the “er” verbs that you will be studying.

At the back of the booklet there is a list of some other very important “er” verbs that

you need to know.

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habiter -

préférer -

aimer -

adorer -

détester -

commencer -

manger -

arriver -

parler -

écouter -

travailler -

jouer -

porter

regarder -

rester -

neiger -

préparer -

proposer -

décider -

collectionner -

monter -

acheter -

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Translate into French

I live in Scotland.

We prefer cats.

My sisters prefer dogs.

I love French and English

My sister hates maths and art

I am wearing trousers and a jumper

My dad works in a school

The French start school at 8am

It is snowing.

This year I am staying at home during the holidays.

My mum watches Eastenders four times a week.

When it snows I stay at home.

On Sundays we stay at home and play cards.

My cousins decide to go to the cinema.

My brother and I collect stamps.

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My mum prepares breakfast every day.

My sister collects cuddly toys.

My dad prepares the meals when my mum is working.

They are going up the stairs

I am going to Paris this year and am going to go up the Eiffel Tower

During the holidays I am going to buy a present for my mum

Every Saturday my sister and I go shopping and buy clothes

Do you like buying clothes?

(be careful – the French say “like you to buy some clothes ? )

Bravo ! tu as réussi.

Please try to remember the rules about the present tense as it is important all the way

through your studies of French.

To see how much you can remember about the Present Tense (both for Irregular and

regular verbs) try out the “Test yourself” quiz at the back of your booklet.

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Irregular verbs – the BIG ONES

By now you will already have looked at how we conjugate (form) regular “er” verbs

in French.

Here is the bad news. Like in English there are some verbs in French that do not

follow the normal pattern and these are called irregular verbs. You will come across

these verbs regularly and therefore become very familiar with them.

So Don’t Panic!

In pairs try to think of any irregular verbs in English. Remember in English we add

“s” for he, she, it – any verbs that do not do this are irregular.

As you will see, there are quite a few irregular verbs in English. If you wrote down

“to be” and “to have” , then very well done. We do not say “I be, you be, he/she bes

etc” or “he/she haves” in English and the same is true of French.

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FOUR BIG IRREGULAR VERBS

“To have”, “to be”, “to do “and “to go” are the four BIG IRREGULAR VERBS and

are very important. ALL FOUR MUST BE LEARNED REALLY WELL..

To have – avoir

Complete the French (you should know some of them)

Singular= I have

= You have

= He has

= She has

= one has, we have

Plural = we have

= you have

= they have

= they have

Translate into French She has three brothers.

My sister has long blond hair.

I don’t have a pet.

My friend has blue eyes and brown hair.

My sisters have green eyes.

I am 12 years old ( remember the French say – “I have 12 years”)

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To be – être


Singular= I am

= You are

= He is

= She is

= one is, we are

Plural = we are

= you are

= they are

= they are


He is Scottish.

They are tall.

My mum is small and sporty.

My dad is tall and funny.

My brothers are chatty but lazy.

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To do/ to make – faire


Singular= I do / am doing / make / am making

= You do / are doing / make / are making

= He does / is doing / makes / is making

= She does / is doing / makes / is making

= one does, we do / is /are doing / make / is / are making

Plural = we do / are doing / make / are making

= you do / are doing / make / are making

= they do / are doing / make / are making

= they do / are doing / make / are making

Translate into French I do French in room 2

My sister does not do sciences in lab 3

I do my homework every night

My cousins go skiing once a year. (the French say do skiing)

His brother is making a cake.

Her brother goes swimming at the swimming pool every day ( the French say do

swimming)

What do you do?

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BIG IRREGULAR VERB NUMBER 4

To go – aller


Singular= I go / am going

= You go / are going

= He goes / is going

= She goes / is going

= one goes / is going, we go / are going

Plural = we go / are going

= you go / are going

= they go / are going

= they go / are going


We are going to the cinema this evening.

At the weekend my sister and I go into town with her friends.

My brothers are going to the swimming pool on Friday.

My mum and dad are going to a restaurant on Tuesday.

We go to my grandparents’ house twice a month.

Where are you going?

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IR verbsNow let’s look at IR verbs.

IR verbs – finir = to finish . As with the regular “er” verbs, all regular “ir” verbs

follow the pattern shown below.

To form the Present tense of REGULAR “ir” verbs you complete the following

steps.

1. Remove the “ir”

2. Add the following endings “is, is, it, it, it, issons, issez, issent, issent”

Using the above steps, try to conjugate the verb “finir ”

Finir – to finish

SingularJe =

Tu =

Il =

Elle =

On =

Plural Nous =

Vous =

Ils =

Elles =

The “ir” group of verbs is not as big as the “er” but you do have to learn them.

To give you more practice conjugating these verbs, you will find a list of some of

them on the next page with some sentences to translate into French.

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Regular “IR” verbs

choisir -

grossir -

maigrir -

Rougir -


She is putting on weight

I often go red

My dad is losing weight

He is choosing a book

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RE verbsThe last group of regular verbs are “re” verbs. This is a small group of verbs,

however , again they need to be learned

To form the Present tense of REGULAR “re” verbs you complete the following

steps.

1. Remove the “re”

2. Add the following endings “s, s, -, -, -, ons, ez, ent, ent”

Using the above steps, try to conjugate the verb “répondre ”

Répondre – to answer

SingularJe =

Tu =

Il =

Elle =

On =

Plural Nous =

Vous =

Ils =

Elles =

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Regular “RE” verbs

vendre -

descendre -

perdre -

attendre -

entendre -


My dad is selling his car

We are waiting for a bus

I am always losing my keys

They are going down the street

Are you selling your house ?

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Irregular verbs

You are now familiar with the big 4 irregular verbs, however there are many more.

On the next few pages, you will find some other irregular verbs you need to know.

At the back of the booklet there is also a list of some other irregular verbs that you

will come across later.

Lire – to read

Singular= I read / am reading

= You read / are reading

= He reads / is reading

= She reads / is reading

= one reads / is reading, we read / are reading

Plural = we read / are reading

= you read/ are reading

= they read / are reading

= they read / are reading

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écrire – to write

Singular= I write / am writing

= You write / are writing

= He writes / is writing

= She writes / is writing

= one writes / is writing, we write / are writing

Plural = we write / are writing

= you write / are writing

= they write / are writing

= they write / are writing

sortir – to go out

Singular= I go out / am going out

= You go out / are going out

= He goes out / is going out

= She goes out / is going out

= one goes out / is going out, we go out / are going out

Plural = we go out / are going out

= you go out / are going out

= they go out / are going out

= they go out / are going out

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Prendre = to take

This verb is used in the sense if taking something from someone

e.g. a sweet or a present or taking the bus or a train etc. It also means to have if used

with food, showers baths etc

E.g. I have cereals for breakfast – the French say “I take cereals for breakfast”

Singular= I take / am taking

= You take / are taking

= He takes / is taking

= She takes / is taking

= one takes / is taking, we take/ are taking

Plural = we take / are taking

= you take / are taking

= they take / are taking

= they take / are taking

Another two verbs which are formed in this way are:

Comprendre = to understand

Apprendre = to learn

Translate the following We are taking the car

She is having a yoghurt

I do not understand Spanish

She is having a shower

My cousins are learning French

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Dormir – to sleep

Singular= I sleep / am sleeping

= You sleep / are sleeping

= He sleeps / is sleeping

= She sleeps / is sleeping

= one sleeps / is sleeping, we sleep / are sleeping

Plural = we sleep / are sleeping

= you sleep / are sleeping

= they sleep / are sleeping

= they sleep / are sleeping

Partir = to leave

Singular= I leave/ am leaving

= You leave / are leaving

= He leaves / is leaving

= She leaves / is leaving

= one leaves / is leaving, we leave / are leaving

Plural = we leave / are leaving

= you leave / are leaving

= they leave / are leaving

= they leave / are leaving

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Boire – to drink

Singular= I drink / am drinking

= You drink / are drinking

= He drinks/ is drinking

= She drinks / is drinking

= one drinks / is drinking, we drink / are drinking

Plural = we drink / are drinking

= you drink / are drinking

= they drink / are drinking

= they drink / are drinking

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Yipee ! !

We have come to the end of the irregular verbs.

However there are many more, some of which can be found at the back

of your booklet. Your teacher will go through some of these with you.

But before you move on try translating some of the sentences on the

next page – all include irregular verbs.

Bonne chance!!

Translate the following into French

For a greater challenge try not look back at the verbs. You can work with partner if

you want to.

My sister is reading a book in the living room.

When it is nice day, I go out with my friends.

My brother does a lot of sport and drinks three litre of water every day.

When my sister is tired, she sleeps on the sofa.

Every morning, my brother and I have cereals for breakfast.

I don not understand maths because it is difficult.

My brothers go out a lot with their friends.

When I go on holiday, I always write a lot of post cards.

My mum has a shower every morning.

When it is raining, I stay in the house and read a book.

.

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Bravo !! Tu as réussi

Test yourselfHow much do you remember

What do the following verbs mean

vendre -

boire -

être -

avoir -

manger -

lire -

rester -

finir -

maigrir -

partir -

Now try this little quiz

1. Which sentence is incorrect?

A. ma mère est écossaiseB. mon père est anglaisC. je suis britanniqueD. ils ont espagnols

2. Which of the following sentences is correct?

A. je suis 15 ansB. elle sont 12 ansC. ils ont 13 ansD. j’être 11 ans

3. Which of the following sentences is correct ?

A. ils finissons les devoirsB. ils finisent leurs devoirsC. ils finent leurs devoirs D. ils finissent leurs devoirs

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4. Which two sentences are incorrect?

A. je aime les maths B. tu détestes la géographie C. elle adore le françaisD. tu n’aime pas l’histoire-géo

5. Which form of “boire” would you use with “il” ?

A. boisB. boiC. boitD. boisson

6. Which of the following sentences is incorrect ?

A. je vais en Espagne B. ma sœur et moi vont en EspagneC. mon frère va en Espagne D. nous allons en Espagne

7. Which of the following verbs is irregular in the present tense?

A. préparerB. descendreC. rester D. écrire

8. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

A. ma sœur ne fait pas de sportB. mes parents faisent du skiC. mon copain fait de l’équitationD. tu fais de la natation

Check your answers to see ho well you have done

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Bravo tu as réussi

More “er” verbs

See how many meanings you can find of the verbs below.

Try to conjugate the verbs and make sentences using them.

accompagner gagner

aider garder

ajouter laisser

allumer louer

apporter marcher

attraper montrer

bouger oublier

cacher passer

casser penser

chanter pousser

chercher quitter

commander raconter

couper remarquer

coûter remercier

danser rencontrer

demander sembler

discuter tirer

deviner toucher

donner traverser

durer trouver

fermer vérifier

fumer

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More irregular verbs

connaître - to know ( a person)

- connais, connais, connaît, connaissons, connaissez, connaissent

savoir - to know (a fact)

- sais, sais, sait, savons, savez, savent

mettre - to put / to put on

- mets, mets, met, mettons, mettez, mettent

permettre - to allow (follows the same pattern as mettre)

promettre - to promise (follows the same pattern as mettre)

dire - to say

- dis, dis, dit, disons, dites, disent

rire - to laugh

- ris, ris, rit, rions, riez, rient

venir - to come

- viens, viens, vient, venons, venez, viennent

tenir - to hold

- tiens, tiens, tient, tenons, tenez, tiennent

suivre - to follow

- suis, suis, suit, suivons, suivez, suivent

vivre - to live

- vis, vis, vit, vivons, vivez, vivent

voir - to see

- vois, vois, voit, voyons, voyez, voient

If you look at all the verb endings above, Can you see any similarities ?

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Modal verbs

The next three verbs are called “Modal verbs” i.e. they are usually followed by

another verb which is ALWAYS in the infinitive.

As you continue your studies of French, you will come across these verbs more and

more. Try to learn them as they are very important.

vouloir - to wish or to want to

- veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent

e.g. je veux aller en France l’an prochain.

- I want to go to France next year

e.g Veux-tu aller au cinéma ?

- do you want to go to the cinema ?

Pouvoir - to be able to / can

- peux, peux, peut, pouvons, pouvez, peuvent

e.g. je peux sortir avec mes amis.

- I can go out with my friends

e.g. Peux-tu me prêter un stylo, s’il te plaît ?

- Can you lend me a pen, please ?

Devoir - to have to

- dois, dois, doit, devons, devez, doivent

e.g. je dois faire mes devoirs.

- I have to do my homework

e.g. dois-tu aller chez tes grand-parents ?

- Do you have to go to your grandparents house ?

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