The verb and its subject

The verb and its subject: progressive explanation, topic-specific examples, guided exercises and a corrected assessment.

Duration: 25 minPrerequisites: phrase-majuscule-pointPass mark: 80%

1. Objective

By the end, you will recognise and use “The verb and its subject” correctly.

2. Discover

Look at the six examples for “The verb and its subject”. Before reading the rule, notice what changes and what stays stable.

3. Understand

The subject controls verb agreement. Find the verb first, then ask who performs the action or who/what the sentence is about. The subject can be long, come after the verb or be separated from it.

Le voisin ferme les volets.Mes collègues arrivent à neuf heures.Dans la cour jouent deux enfants.Ce matin, le train de Paris a dix minutes de retard.Toi et moi préparons le dossier.Pourquoi cette lumière clignote-t-elle ?

Watch out

Start with the subject and time reference. Only then choose the tense or verb form: word-for-word translation often leads to the wrong tense.

4. Guided practice

5. Independent practice

6. Write / speak

Write three sentences from your own life using the target structure. Change the people, place or time rather than copying the models.

7. Check your learning

8. Remember

The subject controls verb agreement.

Download worksheet (PDF)

9. Now I can…

I can recognise “The verb and its subject” in a new example.
I can justify my choice and create an example.