Situer Les Expression Du Temp – JSS1 French Lesson Note (Second Term)

Time expressions in French (les expressions du temps) are words and phrases that tell us when something happens or how often it happens.

• Examples: hier (yesterday), aujourd’hui (today), demain (tomorrow), souvent (often), toujours (always).
• Also in this lesson: the ordinal numbers from premier (1st) to vingtième (20th), and the twelve months of the year.

Behavioural objectives

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

1. say and write common French time expressions and give their English meanings;
2. sort time expressions into past, present, future and frequency;
3. use the ordinal numbers from premier (1st) to vingtième (20th);
4. name the twelve months of the year in French;
5. say the position of each month in the year, for example “Janvier est le premier mois de l’année”.

What are time expressions in French?

Time expressions show when an action takes place: in the past, now, in the future, or how often.

• Past: tells us the action has already happened, as in hier.
• Present: tells us the action is happening now, as in maintenant.
• Future: tells us the action has not happened yet, as in demain.
• Frequency: tells us how often the action happens, as in souvent.

What are the French expressions for the past?

What are the French expressions for the present?

• Ce: used before a masculine word that begins with a consonant sound, as in ce matin and ce soir.
• Cet: used before a masculine word that begins with a vowel sound, as in cet après-midi.

What are the French expressions for the future?

What are the French expressions for how often?

What are the French expressions for parts of the day and periods of time?

What are the ordinal numbers in French?

Ordinal numbers show position or order: first, second, third and so on. Most of them end in -ième.

How do we form the ordinal numbers?

Most ordinal numbers are formed by adding -ième to the number, with a few small changes.

1. Start with the number: trois, six, dix.
2. Add -ième: troisième, sixième, dixième.
3. If the number ends in -e, drop the -e first: quatre becomes quatrième, onze becomes onzième.
4. For cinq, add u: cinquième.
5. For neuf, change f to v: neuvième.
6. Premier (1st) is the exception. It does not end in -ième.

• Written short form: 1er for premier, then 2e, 5e, 13e and 20e for the others.
• Feminine of premier: première, as in la première semaine.

What are the months of the year in French?

There are twelve months in the year, and each one has a position that we say with an ordinal number.

• Spelling tip: French months are normally written with a small letter, except at the start of a sentence.
• Accents: février, août and décembre carry accents.

Evaluation

1. Donnez le sens en anglais: hier, demain, maintenant, toujours.
2. Comment dit-on en français: “every week”, “next Monday”, “at night”?
3. Écrivez en français le 5e, le 13e et le 20e.
4. Quel est le troisième mois de l’année?
5. Quel mois est le douzième mois de l’année?

Assignment

Nommez les mois de l’année en français, dans l’ordre.