Things to do (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Things to do
When discussing free-time activities and places to visit in French, you'll need to know vocabulary for different locations and how to express what you can do in various places. This topic focuses on describing activities available in your area and expressing capability using the verb pouvoir.
Key vocabulary
Understanding places and activities is essential for discussing what you can do in your town or region. Here are the most important terms you'll encounter:
| French | English | Type |
|---|---|---|
| améliorer | to improve | verb |
| capitale (f) | capital city | noun |
| centre (m) | centre | noun |
| cinéma (m) | cinema | noun |
| entreprise (f) | company, business | noun |
| marché (m) | market | noun |
| musée (m) | museum | noun |
| parc (m) | park | noun |
| piscine (f) | swimming pool | noun |
| place (f) | square | noun |
| pont (m) | bridge | noun |
| quartier (m) | district/quarter | noun |
| supermarché (m) | supermarket | noun |
| théâtre (m) | theatre | noun |
| traverser | to cross | verb |
| vivre | to live | verb |
| accueil (m) | welcome | noun |
| lac (m) | lake | noun |
| terrain (m) | sports pitch, ground | noun |
Many of these place names are similar to their English equivalents (cinéma, musée, parc, théâtre), making them easier to memorise. Focus on learning the gender (masculine/feminine) as this affects which articles you use.
Using pouvoir (to be able to)
The verb pouvoir is crucial for expressing what you can do in different places. It's an irregular verb that follows this pattern:
| Person | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | peux | I can |
| tu | peux | you can |
| il/elle/on | peut | he/she/it/one can |
| nous | pouvons | we can |
| vous | pouvez | you can |
| ils/elles | peuvent | they can |
Pouvoir is an irregular verb, so you must memorise these forms - they don't follow regular conjugation patterns. Pay special attention to the fact that "je peux" and "tu peux" are spelled differently but pronounced the same way.
When using pouvoir, you often want to say what you can do in a particular area. The construction is straightforward: use the appropriate form of pouvoir followed by an infinitive verb.
The infinitive is the base form of the verb (like "visiter", "nager", "traverser"). This makes pouvoir constructions relatively simple once you know the conjugation.
Example sentences
Here are practical sentences showing how to discuss activities and capabilities:
Worked Example: Present Tense Constructions
- Dans ma région on peut faire les magasins. - In my region you can go shopping.
- Je peux visiter le musée le weekend. - I can visit the museum at the weekend.
- Nous pouvons nager dans la piscine. - We can swim in the swimming pool.
- Tu peux traverser le pont pour aller au centre-ville. - You can cross the bridge to go to the town centre.
Notice how each sentence follows the pattern: subject + pouvoir + infinitive verb
Worked Example: Past Tense Context
- Récemment, on a beaucoup amélioré notre ville. - Recently, they have improved our town a lot.
- Il y a des nouvelles entreprises. - There are new businesses.
- On peut visiter un parc énorme. - You can visit an enormous park.
These examples show how to provide context about changes in your area before explaining what you can now do there.
Grammar and pronunciation tips
Understanding the grammatical rules and pronunciation will help you use these structures confidently in conversation.
Grammar Points:
- Remember that pouvoir is followed by an infinitive (the base form of the verb)
- On peut is very common and means "you can" or "one can" in general
- Many place names are masculine (le parc, le centre) but some are feminine (la piscine, la place)
- Use dans (in) when talking about being in a place: dans ma région (in my region)
Pronunciation Tips:
- Peux and peut are pronounced the same way (like "puh")
- Pouvons sounds like "poo-von"
- Peuvent is pronounced "puhv" (the -ent ending is silent)
- Many French place words are similar to English, making them easier to remember
Translation practice
Test your understanding with these translation exercises:
Translation Exercise: French to English
- On peut faire du sport au terrain près du lac.
- Ma sœur préfère le nouveau quartier car il y a une piscine.
Translation Exercise: English to French
- You can visit the theatre in the town centre.
- We can improve the market area.
Worked Solutions:
- You can do sport on the pitch near the lake.
- My sister prefers the new district because there is a swimming pool.
- On peut visiter le théâtre au centre-ville.
- Nous pouvons améliorer la zone du marché.
When translating, pay careful attention to:
- Choosing the correct form of pouvoir based on the subject
- Using the infinitive form of the main verb
- Including appropriate prepositions like "dans" (in) or "au" (to the)
Key Points to Remember:
- Pouvoir is essential for expressing capability - learn all its forms thoroughly
- Many French place names are similar to English words, making vocabulary easier to acquire
- Use on peut to talk about what's generally possible in an area
- Practice combining pouvoir with different activity verbs to build fluency
- Don't forget that pouvoir is always followed by an infinitive verb