Expliquer Ce Que L’On Fait Tout Les Jours De La Semaine – JSS1 French Lesson Note (Second Term)

In French, you explain what you do every day by using the present tense with je and a time, for example Je pars pour l’école à sept heures.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. say in French what they do on a school day, from waking up to returning home;
2. give the time of an activity in French, for example à sept heures trente;
3. name at least eight things they do at the weekend in French;
4. write short sentences in French about their daily and weekend routine.

What words do we need to talk about our week?

The days of the week, time words and linking words help you describe a routine.

What are the days of the week in French?

There are seven days of the week in French, and none starts with a capital letter.

• Le week-end: the weekend, that is samedi and dimanche.
• Le dimanche: “le” before a day means every Sunday, as in Le dimanche, nous allons à l’église.
• Chaque matin: every morning.
• Chaque week-end: every weekend.

Which linking words show the order of activities?

• D’abord: first.
• Ensuite: then.
• Puis: then, next.
• Après: after that.
• Enfin: finally.

How do we say the time in French?

To say at what time you do something, use à followed by the hour and the word heures.

• Quelle heure est-il ?: asks “What time is it?” The answer begins with Il est.
• À quelle heure … ?: asks “At what time … ?” The answer begins with à.
• Heure(s): hour. Say une heure for one o’clock and heures for the others.
• Minutes: say the number after the hour, as in huit heures vingt.
• Trente: used for half past, as in sept heures trente.
• Afternoon times: this note uses the 24-hour clock, so quinze heures is 3 pm and seize heures is 4 pm.

How do we use the present tense with je?

In the present tense, je is followed by a verb that changes its ending to match “I”.

• Verbs ending in -er: the verb ends in -e after je, as in je salue, je regarde, je joue, je rentre.
• Verbs ending in -ir: the verb ends in -s, as in je finis.
• Irregular verbs: learn them by heart, as in je fais, je vais, je prends, je pars.
• Reflexive verbs: use me after je, as in je me réveille, je me brosse les dents.
• Elision: je becomes j’ before a vowel, as in j’arrive, j’écoute, j’aide.
• Elision with me: me becomes m’ before a vowel, as in je m’habille.

What do you do on a school day?

On a school day, each sentence starts with je and says one thing you do, and some give the time with à.

What do you do in the morning at home?

What do you do on the way to school and at school?

What do you do after school?

What do you do at the weekend?

Le week-end, c’est la fin de la semaine. Chaque week-end, je fais beaucoup de choses.

1. Je fais la lessive. (I do the laundry.)
2. Je fais le nettoyage. (I do the cleaning.)
3. Je fais le ménage. (I do the housework.)
4. Je fais une promenade. (I go for a walk.)
5. Je fais la cuisine. (I do the cooking.)
6. Je rends visite à mes amis. (I visit my friends.)
7. Je lis mes livres. (I read my books.)
8. Je fais mes devoirs. (I do my homework.)
9. Je regarde la télévision. (I watch television.)
10. Je joue au football. (I play football.)
11. Je bavarde avec ma famille. (I chat with my family.)
12. Je vais à la bibliothèque. (I go to the library.)
13. J’écoute la musique. (I listen to music.)
14. Je repasse mes vêtements. (I iron my clothes.)
15. Je chausse mes souliers. (I put on my shoes.)
16. Je vais au marché avec ma mère. (I go to the market with my mother.)
17. J’aide ma mère dans la maison. (I help my mother in the house.)
18. Le dimanche, nous allons à l’église. (On Sundays, we go to church.)

How do we use faire, aller and jouer in these sentences?

These three verbs appear most often in weekend sentences, so learn how each one works.

How is faire used?

Faire means “to do” or “to make”, and it goes with many household activities.

• Je fais: I do. Other forms are tu fais, il/elle fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font.
• La (feminine): la lessive, la cuisine.
• Le (masculine): le ménage, le nettoyage.
• Une: une promenade.
• Mes: mes devoirs (plural, so “mes”).

How is aller used?

Aller means “to go”, and it is followed by à and the place.

• Je vais: I go. Other forms are tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont.
• à la: before a feminine place, as in à la bibliothèque.
• au: before a masculine place, as in au marché (à + le).
• à l’: before a vowel, as in à l’église, à l’école.

How is jouer used?

Jouer means “to play”, and a sport takes à.

• Je joue au football: I play football (à + le = au).
• Wrong: Je joue le football.

How can we ask and answer questions about a routine?

Use a short question and answer it with a full sentence beginning with je.

What mistakes do students often make?

• Je joue le football: wrong. Write Je joue au football.
• Je arrive: wrong. Write J’arrive.
• Je réveille: wrong. Write Je me réveille.
• Je vais le marché: wrong. Write Je vais au marché.
• Lundi with a capital letter: days are written lundi, mardi and so on.

Evaluation

1. Write in French: “I wake up at five o’clock every morning.”
2. Say in French the time you leave for school and the time you arrive.
3. Complete with la, le or une: Je fais ___ cuisine. Je fais ___ promenade.
4. Correct the sentence: Je joue le football.
5. Write three things you do at the weekend in French.

Assignment

Write five sentences in French about what you do on a school day and five sentences about what you do at the weekend. Use the sentences in this note as a guide.