Gaspard, Juste à Temps!

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Gaspard, Juste à Temps! is a story about a cat (with a fantastic moustache) who is perpetually late. This series of illustrations aims to teach French verb tenses and conjugations in an intuitive, memorable way.

Problem: As a long-time French student, I have always been frustrated by the way that French grammar is presented in textbooks and taught in classrooms. Students learn concepts in disjointed units and by rote memorization, which can be confusing, counterproductive, and tedious.

Solution: I imagined how I would have wanted French grammar concepts to be visualized and presented so that they would be both easy to understand and exciting to learn. I tackled verb tenses and conjugations, which are very important but often difficult to conceptualize. There are two core aspects to my solution: (1) a timeline graphic to plot verb tenses along a continuum and (2) a cohesive narrative to put the tenses and conjugations into context.

Contribution: I created and designed all parts of this project -- the story, layout, and illustrations.

Translation: Hello, my name is Gaspard, and I have a little problem.

Present

Translation: I am always late.
Verb Tense: Present

Translation: Yesterday, I missed the bus, and I arrived at the office very late.
Verb Tense: Past perfect (Passé composé)

Translation: It was not my fault... I was eating whan a mouse attacked me!
Verb Tenses: Imperfect and Past Perfect (Passé Composé)

Translation: After I had trapped the mouse, I hurried to catch the bus. But it was already too late.
Verb Tense: Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) and Past Perfect (Passé Composé)