Because there is
no straight-forward comparison to their L1, English-speaking students often have
a hard time identifying and applying the French imperfect and passé composé
tenses. The following exercise is a fun
way to review the tenses once they have learned the grammatical basics. It helps in both oral comprehension and
reading.
Instructions to
PowerPoint (linked below):
11. Play
both versions of the song asking students to write down any imperfect or passé
composé verbs they hear.
22. After
the video has finished, show slide 2, and have students pick out any verbs they
didn’t catch from the listening.
33. Use
slide 3 as an answer key and start a discussion as to why each tense was used (why did the songwriter use imperfect in
this phrase and not passé compose?), and have students piece together the overall
meaning of phrases using vocabulary they know.
This can be done individually or in partners, then discussed with the
class.
44. Wrap
up the exercise by showing the English lyrics, if you choose. You can find the lyrics with a quick online search.
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