GCSE French: Higher Verb Structures

The DfE grammar list for GCSE French adds a set of verb structures at Higher tier that let you express more precise ideas: the present passive with par, the present participle after en, the inflected future of regular -er verbs with the irregular singular forms aurai, ferai, irai and serai, the conditional of regular -er verbs with aurais, ferais, irais and serais, the imperfect in the plural, the nous imperative for 'let's', the imperative of être (sois, soyez), the perfect tense of the modal verbs, and impersonal phrases such as il vaut mieux, il vaut la peine de and il manque. This material practises all of them.

The quiz has twelve questions, most of them gap-fills with one correct form: the passive with the participle agreeing with the subject (le repas est préparé, les photos sont prises), en écoutant for 'by listening', the future nous visiterons, il aura dix-sept ans (age uses avoir), the future je ferai against the conditional je ferais, the conditional nous aimerions, the imperative allons !, j'ai dû travailler, il vaut la peine de visiter, il manque une page and the imperfect nous jouions. Each explanation shows how the form is built, so you can apply the rule to other verbs.

The fourteen flashcards summarise how each structure is formed and what it means, including the irregular present participles étant, ayant and faisant and the difference between the future ending -ai and the conditional ending -ais.

The written work gives eight tasks: turning active sentences into the passive, joining sentences with en + present participle, putting verbs into the future and the conditional, explaining the future/conditional contrast, translating commands and modal verbs in the past, writing sentences with impersonal phrases, and completing a short passage in the imperfect. Each task has a model answer and marking points.

The structures are those listed for Higher tier; nothing beyond the GCSE list, such as the subjunctive or the pluperfect, is needed. Other materials in this category cover the Foundation tenses (present, perfect, imperfect singular, aller + infinitive) and the pronouns and negatives of the Higher list.

• Form and translate the present passive with par, with agreement
• Use en + present participle for 'by / while doing'
• Form the future of -er verbs and of avoir, faire, aller, être
• Distinguish the future (-ai) from the conditional (-ais)
• Use the nous imperative, the imperative of être and modals in the perfect tense
• Use il vaut mieux, il vaut la peine de and il manque

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the DfE GCSE subject content for French, German and Spanish (September 2025 version), Annex A French grammar, Higher tier verb phrases: passive voice in the present, impersonal verbs, être en train de and venir de, inflectional future and conditional, imperfect plural, imperative, present participle after en.