Verb conjugations

    OCR
    GCSE

    The mastery of French verbal morphology requires a systematic understanding of the interplay between tense (time), aspect (nature of the action), and mood (attitude of the speaker). Candidates must demonstrate precise manipulation of regular and irregular paradigms, auxiliary selection, and the syntactic agreement of past participles. Analysis extends beyond rote memorization to the semantic implications of grammatical choices in complex discourse.

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    Objectives
    4
    Exam Tips
    3
    Pitfalls
    3
    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for the accurate formation of the Perfect Tense, specifically the correct selection of auxiliary verbs (avoir vs être) and past participle agreement.
    • Credit the consistent use of three time frames within extended writing tasks (90-word and 150-word questions).
    • Reward the correct application of the Imperfect Tense for descriptions in the past, distinguishing it from the Perfect Tense for specific actions.
    • Identify and credit complex structures such as 'si' clauses, modal verbs followed by infinitives, and correct negation placement around conjugated verbs.

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have communicated the message, but check your auxiliary verbs to ensure the tense is clear."
    • "Excellent range of vocabulary; now focus on the accuracy of your irregular verb stems in the future tense."
    • "To access higher marks, vary your sentence openers and include a complex structure like a 'si' clause."
    • "Ensure your past participles agree with the subject when using 'être' in the perfect tense."

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for the accurate formation of the Perfect Tense, specifically the correct selection of auxiliary verbs (avoir vs être) and past participle agreement.
    • Credit the consistent use of three time frames within extended writing tasks (90-word and 150-word questions).
    • Reward the correct application of the Imperfect Tense for descriptions in the past, distinguishing it from the Perfect Tense for specific actions.
    • Identify and credit complex structures such as 'si' clauses, modal verbs followed by infinitives, and correct negation placement around conjugated verbs.

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡In the 150-word writing task, explicitly plan to include at least two examples of the past, present, and future tenses to ensure access to the top band for Range of Language.
    • 💡When translating into French, identify the tense of the English sentence first; do not translate word-for-word.
    • 💡Use the 'nous' form of the present tense to derive the stem for the Imperfect tense to avoid irregular stem errors.
    • 💡Double-check all reflexive verbs in the perfect tense for agreement with the subject.

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Omission of the auxiliary verb in the Passé Composé (e.g., writing 'je mangé' instead of 'j'ai mangé').
    • Phonetic spelling errors where infinitives (-er) are used instead of past participles (-é) or imperfect endings (-ais).
    • Incorrect selection of auxiliary verbs for 'movement' and 'state' verbs (Dr & Mrs Vandertramp verbs).

    Study Guide Available

    Comprehensive revision notes & examples

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    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Ecrivez
    Décrivez
    Expliquez
    Traduisez
    Justifiez
    Racontez

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