Use French verbs and time frames
Practise regular, irregular and reflexive verbs, question and negative forms, commands and the indicative tenses needed to describe experience and plans.
Exam scope and assessment notes
All passages, prompts, listening scripts, model answers and practice tasks are original StudyForA materials, not Cambridge assessment content. Written answers are self-reviewed and not Cambridge-marked. Browser speech synthesis is not Cambridge audio and cannot guarantee a particular accent, pace or pronunciation. Speaking rehearsal is not the supervised centre assessment, examiner interaction, moderation or an official mark. This is not a complete timed specimen paper or a 130-hour course. Both five-area topic maps and grouped grammar pathways are linked, but the 2028 vocabulary spreadsheet has not been mapped word by word, and grammar still needs item-by-item specialist review. A French-language specialist should review the original French examples before we describe this as publication-ready. Confirm the right syllabus version, entry option and exam series with your centre.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which sentence correctly matches yesterday?
What you will learn
- Use common regular/irregular verbs in singular and plural persons, including reflexive verbs.
- Distinguish present, perfect, imperfect, pluperfect, future, immediate future and conditional time frames.
- Form negatives, questions, commands and polite «tu/vous» address.
- Recognise infinitive constructions, «depuis», «venir de», receptive passive and common subjunctive expressions.
Choose a tense that matches the time
The official list includes indicative present, perfect, imperfect, pluperfect, future, immediate future and conditional; all persons; regular/irregular and reflexive verbs; and negative, interrogative and imperative forms.
A simple contrast: «Hier, j’ai visité le musée» (yesterday I visited the museum); «Quand j’étais petite, je visitais souvent ce musée» (when I was young, I often visited it); «Demain, je visiterai le musée» (tomorrow I will visit it). The choice depends on whether you report a completed event, background/habit or plan.
Extend the verb pattern
The appendix also lists «depuis» with present and imperfect; «venir de + infinitive» in present and imperfect; verbs followed by an infinitive with «à» or «de»; the perfect infinitive; present participle; receptive passive; and the subjunctive in common expressions.
Use a reliable model and check the auxiliary, agreement and pronoun position. For example, «Je viens de finir» means I have just finished; «Il faut que je parte» is a common subjunctive expression, which learners should recognise without overgeneralising its formation.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
What does «Je viens de terminer» usually mean?
Worked example
A diary says: «Hier, nous avons pris le train. Quand nous étions petits, nous allions souvent à la mer. Demain, nous irons au musée.» Sort each trip into its time frame.
Show the worked solution
- Find «hier», «quand nous étions petits» and «demain».
- Notice the verb construction that follows each marker.
- Explain completed event, habitual background and future plan.
Answer «Avons pris» reports a completed trip yesterday; «allions» describes a repeated past habit; «irons» gives tomorrow's future plan.
From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Change «Je vais au marché aujourd’hui» into one sentence about yesterday and one plan for tomorrow.
Give me a hint
Change the time word and verb form together.
Compare my reasoning
- Use «hier» with a completed past form.
- Use «demain» with a future form.
- Check the subject stays the same.
«Hier, je suis allé(e) au marché.» «Demain, j’irai au marché.» The past participle in the first sentence agrees with the speaker where required.
Look for these in your work
- Uses a past time frame
- Uses a future time frame
- Notes agreement where relevant
Explain the difference between «Je ne mange pas de viande» and «Je ne vais pas manger de viande ce soir».
Give me a hint
Compare the general present statement with the immediate future plan.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the tense in each sentence.
- Check the time reference.
- State what each sentence means.
The first says that I do not eat meat as a general statement. The second says that I am not going to eat meat this evening; it refers to a particular future plan.
Look for these in your work
- Distinguishes present from near future
- Uses the time clue
- Explains the meanings accurately
Write a polite French instruction for a visitor and one conditional suggestion if the visitor has extra time.
Give me a hint
Keep the address form consistent; use «vous» for polite address.
Compare my reasoning
- Give one clear «vous» command.
- Add a conditional suggestion.
- Use a place or time detail.
Example: «Prenez la rue à droite et continuez jusqu’à la place. Si vous avez encore du temps, vous pourriez visiter le musée.» This is an original suggestion, not a guarantee about opening hours.
Look for these in your work
- Uses a consistent polite form
- Gives a clear command
- Adds a conditional suggestion
Common mistakes
- Using a perfect tense for a repeated background habit without checking context
- Changing «tu» and «vous» halfway through a conversation
- Treating a possible future plan as a confirmed outcome
What can you explain now?
Which tense in «Quand j’étais petit, je jouais souvent au parc» describes the past habit?
Compare with the explanation
The imperfect «jouais»
The sentence sets a repeated background habit, not one completed visit.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
Your review choice appears on Today. Sign in to sync it across devices.
Make it stick
Before moving on, explain: use common regular/irregular verbs in singular and plural persons, including reflexive verbs.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.