La Révolution Française (French Revolution)

Learning GoalsUnderstand the reasons for the French Revolution.Use two past tenses, the imparfait [am-par-FEH] and the passé composé [pah-SAY kohn-poh-ZAY], to talk about historical events.Explain the importance of liberté (freedom) [lee-behr-TAY] and égalité (equality) [ay-gah-lee-TAY].Imagine a country 👑 where a king has all the power and the people 🧑‍🌾 are very hungry. The people are not happy. What would happen if they decided they'd had enough? That's the beginning of our story about the French Revolution! 📜Why This Matters in Real LifeUnderstand how the ideas of justice and citizens' rights were born.See how a historical event can change the whole world, even today.Better understand news about current events.

French TermEnglish MeaningExamplele roi / la reine (the king / the queen) [luh RWAH / la REN]The male and female rulers of a country (a monarchy).Le roi (The king) [luh RWAH] habitait (lived) [ah-bee-TEH] dans un grand palais (in a big palace) [dahnz uhn grahn pah-LEH].le peuple (the people) [luh PUH-pluh]All the citizens of a country.Le peuple (The people) [luh PUH-pluh] voulait (wanted) [voo-LEH] plus de justice (more justice) [ploos duh zhoos-TEES].la liberté (freedom/liberty) [la lee-behr-TAY]The right to think and act as you wish, while respecting others.La liberté (Freedom) [la lee-behr-TAY] est (is) [EH] une valeur très importante (a very important value) [oon vah-LUHR trehz am-por-TAHNT].l'égalité (equality) [lay-gah-lee-TAY]The idea that all citizens have the same rights.Ils ont d...

1. The Imparfait Tense: For Describing the SceneRule: We use the imparfait [am-par-FEH] to describe the background, situations that were ongoing, and habits in the past. Think of it as setting the stage for the story.Example: Avant 1789 (Before 1789) [ah-VAHN dees-set-sahn-kaht-ruh-van-NUHF], le roi (the king) [luh RWAH] avait (had) [ah-VEH] tout le pouvoir (all the power) [too luh poo-VWAR] et le peuple (and the people) [ay luh PUH-pluh] était (was) [ay-TEH] pauvre (poor) [POHV-ruh].2. The Passé Composé Tense: For Telling the ActionRule: We use the passé composé [pah-SAY kohn-poh-ZAY] to talk about the main events—the specific, completed actions that move the story forward.Example: Soudain (Suddenly) [soo-DAN], le peuple (the people) [luh PUH-pluh] a décidé (decided) [ah day-see-DAY] de c...