Auxiliary Verbs in French

Grade 6 · French

Semester 2 | Period 6 | Week 34

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Subject: French

Semester: 2

Period: 6

Week: 34


School Name:
Teacher’s Name:
Subject: French
Grade Level: Grade 6
Date: Week 34
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Week & Period: Week 34, Period 6
Topic: Auxiliary Verbs in French
Sub-topic: Auxiliary verbs in past tense and near future

Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
Use avoir and être in passé composé (compound past).
Form simple near future sentences using aller + infinitive.
Apply auxiliary verbs in different tenses.

Previous Knowledge
Students already know present tense of être and avoir.

Instructional Materials
Conjugation charts, flashcards with past participles, blackboard, examples of near future sentences.

Lesson Development – ABC Model

A – Anticipation (Warm-up / Starter)
Time: 5–10 minutes
Teacher reviews present tense of avoir and être with a quick oral drill. Teacher then asks: “How do we say I have eaten in French?”

B – Building Knowledge (Main Lesson Body)
Time: 25–30 minutes

The teacher begins by explaining that in French, when we talk about what has already happened (past) or what is going to happen (future), we need special verb structures.

🟣 1. Introducing the Passé Composé (Past Tense)

The teacher explains that the passé composé is the most common past tense in French and is used to talk about completed actions.

It is formed by:

  • Subject + Auxiliary Verb (avoir or être) + Past Participle

Teacher explains that most verbs use "avoir", but some movement and reflexive verbs use "être".

 

✅ With Avoir as the auxiliary:

Structure:
J’ai + past participle = I have [verb]ed
Tu as + past participle = You have [verb]ed

Examples written and explained:

  • J’ai mangé – I ate / I have eaten
  • Elle a joué – She played / has played
  • Nous avons fini – We finished / have finished

Teacher writes examples on the board and pronounces them. Students repeat after the teacher.

 

✅ With Être as the auxiliary:

Teacher explains that verbs of movement or changing state (e.g., go, come, arrive, leave, fall, die, be born) use être.

Structure:
Il est + past participle = He has [verb]ed
Nous sommes + past participle = We have [verb]ed

Examples written and explained:

  • Il est allé – He went
  • Nous sommes venus – We came
  • Elle est tombée – She fell

📝 Teacher emphasizes that when using être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
E.g., allé → allée for females; venus → venues for plural/females.

 

🔵 2. Introducing Futur Proche (Near Future Tense)

Teacher explains that futur proche means "what is going to happen soon."

Structure:
Subject + Aller (present) + Infinitive verb

Examples written and explained:

  • Je vais manger – I am going to eat
  • Tu vas avoir un livre – You are going to have a book
  • Nous allons jouer – We are going to play
  • Ils vont danser – They are going to dance

Students repeat each sentence after the teacher, focusing on correct pronunciation and structure.

Teacher explains: This structure is easy to use because aller (to go) is already familiar, and the main verb stays in its infinitive form.

 

🟢 Learners’ Activities (Expanded)

  1. Oral Sentence Building
  • Teacher gives prompts: "Hier…" or "Demain…"
  • Students respond with passé composé or futur proche depending on the prompt.
    E.g.,
    • Teacher: "Hier, tu (manger) ?"
    • Student: "Hier, j’ai mangé."
    • Teacher: "Demain, vous (aller + jouer) ?"
    • Student: "Demain, nous allons jouer."
  1. Pair Work – Tense Sorting Game
  • Students receive a list of actions and work in pairs to convert them into both tenses:
    • écrire (to write) → "J’ai écrit", "Je vais écrire"
    • venir (to come) → "Il est venu", "Il va venir"
  1. Guided Writing

Students write:

  • 3 sentences in passé composé with avoir
  • 2 sentences in passé composé with être
  • 3 sentences in futur proche

Examples may include:

  • J’ai fini mes devoirs.
  • Elle est allée à l’école.
  • Nous allons regarder un film.

 

🔍 Assessment Checks

  • Oral responses: Teacher calls on students to construct correct past or future tense sentences aloud.
  • Written work: Teacher checks for:
    • Correct use of avoir/être
    • Accurate past participles
    • Gender/number agreement (for être verbs)
    • Proper structure of futur proche
  • Quick Drills:
    • “Say: ‘I ate’ in French.” → J’ai mangé
    • “Say: ‘We are going to come.’” → Nous allons venir

 

🗒️ Notes (Expanded & Detailed)

  • Passé composé is used for:
    • Talking about actions that are finished (yesterday, last week, last year, etc.)
    • Avoir is used with most verbs
    • Être is used with verbs of movement or change of state
      • Examples: aller, venir, entrer, sortir, tomber, arriver, partir, naître, mourir
  • Futur proche is used for:
    • Expressing things that are going to happen soon
    • Using aller + infinitive keeps it simple and is common in spoken French
  • Students should focus on mastering structure first before worrying about irregular past participles
  • Constant oral and written practice helps retain the tenses better

 

C – Consolidation (Conclusion & Assessment)
Time: 5–10 minutes
Summary: Teacher highlights differences between present, past, and future forms with être/avoir. Students recap with examples.

Evaluation Method (Expanded):
Exit slip/quiz: Write one sentence in passé composé with avoir, one with être, and one in futur proche.

Assignment (Expanded):
Write four sentences: two in passé composé, two in futur proche.

Follow-up Activity:
Pair work: Students ask each other about yesterday (past) and tomorrow (future) using être and avoir.

Differentiation / Inclusive Strategies
Provide sentence starters for weaker students. Advanced students may try forming negatives.

Teacher’s Reflection (After Class)
What worked well? ___________________________________________
What needs improvement? ____________________________________
Students’ engagement level: ☑ High ☑ Medium ☑ Low