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Evolution of Technology 1

infoWhy this? Technology offers a relevant context for comparing how people communicated and lived in the past, how they use technology now, and what may change in the future. Modal verbs, varied negatives, infinitive constructions, and multiple time frames enable nuanced discussion of habits, possibilities, restrictions, and preferences.

scheduleWhy now? Having developed control of past narration, we can now use imperfect modal verbs to explain what people could, had to, or wanted to do. The unit also draws together present, past, and future forms while extending earlier pronoun work through y and strengthening accuracy with more complex negatives.

neurologyYou need to know

  • The imperfect tense in French is used to describe repeated actions, habits, or states in the past.
  • Modal verbs in the imperfect tense include: pouvoir (could), devoir (had to), vouloir (wanted to).
  • To form the imperfect tense of a regular verb, remove -ons from the present-tense nous form, and add the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, and -aient.
  • The imperfect tense is used for ongoing or repeated past actions, while the perfect tense is used for completed past actions.
  • In simple tenses, ne and the second negative element usually surround the conjugated verb, as in je ne paie jamais.
  • In the perfect tense, ne precedes the auxiliary; pas, jamais, plus, and rien follow the auxiliary, while personne normally follows the past participle, as in je n'ai rien acheté and je n'ai vu personne.
  • With ne…plus in the near future, ne and plus surround the conjugated form of aller, as in je ne vais plus acheter.
  • With il, elle, and on, the present-tense verb or perfect-tense auxiliary is in the third person singular.
  • The 's' at the end of French words is often silent.
  • 'Y' is used to replace a place or thing introduced by 'à'.
  • Key modal verb phrases in the imperfect tense include: on pouvait, il fallait, je devais.
  • Examples of past technology vocabulary include: un téléphone fixe, une cabine téléphonique, un magnétoscope.
  • Modern technology vocabulary includes: un smartphone, un ordinateur, une tablette, télécharger, contacter.
  • Common verbs used with technology are: utiliser, télécharger, contacter, téléphoner.
  • Examples of vocabulary for online and real-life activities include faire des achats en ligne, tchatter en ligne, faire les magasins en ville, and retrouver des amis au parc.
  • Key vocabulary related to social media and influencers includes: une chaîne, des abonnés, une vidéo, un influenceur/une influenceuse.
  • Key vocabulary for future technology and inventions includes: l'avion vert, l'agriculture, la maison intelligente.
  • Common adverbs of time include: bientôt, demain, hier, aujourd'hui, maintenant, dans le futur.
  • Time phrases that indicate different tenses include: la semaine dernière, cet après-midi, ce soir, demain, hier, maintenant.
  • Time phrases clarify whether an action takes place in the past, present, or future.
  • The three time frames in French are present, past, and future.
  • Je fais is a present-tense form of faire and means I do.
  • The perfect tense uses a conjugated auxiliary plus a past participle, and j'ai fait is a perfect-tense form of faire meaning I did or I have done.
  • The near future tense uses a conjugated form of aller plus an infinitive, and je vais faire is a near future form of faire meaning I am going to do.
  • Examples of sentences about past technology include On devait utiliser une machine à écrire; On pouvait téléphoner d'une cabine téléphonique; Il fallait regarder la télévision en noir et blanc; On ne pouvait pas regarder des films en streaming; On ne savait pas trouver des informations rapidement; Si on voulait écouter de la musique, on pouvait écouter des cassettes ou des disques; and C'était pratique, lent, léger.
  • Examples of sentences about modern technology include On peut faire des achats en ligne; On veut passer des heures devant un écran; On peut tchatter en ligne; On doit garder ses mots de passe secrets; On peut faire des appels vidéo; On peut payer sans contact; and On peut avoir des problèmes techniques.
  • Further examples of sentences about modern technology include Je n'achète rien en ligne; Je ne passe qu'une heure par jour devant un écran; Je ne tchatte avec personne en ligne; On ne doit jamais partager ses mots de passe; J'allais chez mes copains/copines; Je ne fais plus d'appels vidéo; Je ne paye jamais sans contact; and Je n'aime pas avoir des problèmes techniques.
  • True negative constructions include ne…pas (not), ne…jamais (never), ne…rien (nothing or not anything), ne…plus (no longer or not anymore), and ne…personne (no one).
  • The restrictive construction ne…que means 'only': ne is placed before the conjugated verb, and que is placed immediately before the restricted word or phrase, as in je ne passe qu'une heure par jour devant un écran.
  • Examples of sentences about influencers include Il a commencé à faire du contenu quand il avait 15 ans; Elle a décidé de devenir YouTubeuse pour partager sa passion que YouTube l'a aidée à vulgariser; Il veut continuer à faire du contenu; Il rêve de devenir un grand acteur; and Elle a réussi à avoir plus de 11 millions d'abonnés.
  • Examples of sentences about activities in different time frames include La semaine dernière, j'ai retrouvé mes amis au parc; Hier, j'ai tchatté avec des amis en ligne; Ce matin, je fais les magasins en ville; Cet après-midi, j'achète en ligne; Ce soir, je vais lire un livre dans mon bain; and Demain, je vais regarder un film sur ma tablette.
  • Further time phrases include le weekend dernier (last weekend), le mois dernier (last month), l'année prochaine (next year), dimanche prochain (next Sunday), aujourd'hui (today), d'habitude (usually), and tous les jours (every day).
  • Key expressions related to future technology include révolutionner (to revolutionise), l'avion vert (green plane), le distributeur automatique de pain frais (automatic fresh bread dispenser), trouver un vaccin (to find a vaccine), and gagner un prix (to win a prize).
  • Examples about green aviation include L'avion vert va révolutionner l'environnement; Ce type d'avion n'émettra pas de CO2; 22 millions d'avions ont volé; C'était très mauvais pour l'environnement; and Il a déjà planté 15 hectares de forêt.
  • Examples about future agriculture include Son idée va révolutionner l'agriculture and On va pouvoir cultiver des graines et des plantes.
  • Examples about future vaccines include Une équipe cherche un vaccin contre le cancer; Le vaccin va aider; and Le vaccin pourra s'adapter.

rocket_launchYou must be able to

  • Identify and conjugate modal verbs in the imperfect tense (e.g., je pouvais, il fallait).
  • Distinguish between the use of the imperfect and perfect tenses in context.
  • Write and translate sentences about past technology using modal verbs in the imperfect tense.
  • Form sentences with technology-related verbs using ne…pas, ne…jamais, ne…rien, ne…plus, ne…personne, and the restrictive construction ne…que, placing each element correctly in simple, perfect, and near future structures.
  • Translate sentences with negative constructions between French and English.
  • Answer and ask questions about technology preferences using negative constructions.
  • Use verbs followed by prepositions and infinitives correctly in sentences (e.g., commencer à faire, décider de faire).
  • Write and speak about someone's life as an influencer, using third person singular and appropriate verb constructions.
  • Pronounce words with a silent 's' at the end correctly.
  • Identify and use present, perfect, and near future tenses in context.
  • Use appropriate time phrases to indicate the correct tense in spoken and written French.
  • Hold a conversation about activities in the past, present, and future, using the correct tense and vocabulary.
  • Use the adverbial pronoun 'y' correctly in sentences.
  • Distinguish and pronounce soft and hard 'g' sounds in French words.
  • Grow, change, and shrink sentences using vocabulary and structures from the topic, ensuring grammatical accuracy.
  • Listen for and identify adverbs of time and the time frames they indicate in spoken French.
  • Read texts about future technology, and identify key information and time frames.


Revision Quiz

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