Year 11 - French
À table ! Partitive and indefinite articles, preverbal use of 'y' and 'en'
Travel and tourism: Des pays francophones
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This culturally and vocabulary rich unit revisits the prepositions à, de and en in a range of contexts, as well as partitive articles. In addition, it consolidates and extends pupil knowledge of indirect object pronouns and introduces the preverbal use of y and en.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use indefinite and partitive articles accurately to describe food and drink quantities and you can recognise when 'y' and 'en' are used to shorten sentences.
Key Notes
- Use un/une (indefinite article) to describe whole things, and du/de la/de l' (partitive article) for parts of things.
- Uncountable nouns, such as water or money, do not have a plural form. They are used with the partitive article.
- 'Y' can replace 'à' + [a place] to mean 'there', e.g. 'elle y va demain'.
- 'En' can replace 'de' + noun and can mean '(of) it/them', e.g. 'j'aime la confiture, j'en mange tous les jours'.
- [en] is pronounced as in 'enfant'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- y: indirect object pronoun meaning 'there', used to replace à + place
- en: indirect object pronoun meaning '(of) it/them', used to replace 'de' + noun
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The pronouns 'y' and 'en' go after the verb, as 'there' and 'of it/them' do in English.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Use un/une (indefinite article) to describe whole things, and du/de la/de l' (partitive article) for parts of things. Uncountable nouns, such as water or money, do not have a plural form. They are used with the partitive article.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'y'
indirect object pronoun meaning 'there', used to replace à + place. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: The pronouns 'y' and 'en' go after the verb, as 'there' and 'of it/them' do in English. Correction: 'Y' and 'en' go before the verb in a present tense sentence e.g. 'elle y va' and 'elle en boit'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Aller au restaurant : dictation, role-play Study Guide
- Des plats typiques : use of 'y' and 'en' Study Guide
- Joyeuses fêtes : indirect object pronouns 'me', 'te', 'lui', 'vous' Study Guide
- L'Hexagone : present tense, prepositions 'à' and 'en' Study Guide
- La diversité religieuse dans les pays francophones : extending vocabulary Study Guide
- Le 14 juillet : indirect object pronouns me, te, lui, vous, nous, and leur Study Guide
- Un pays francophone : present tense, prepositions 'à', 'de' and 'en' Study Guide
- Une fête culturelle/religieuse : extended writing, speaking, photo description Study Guide
- Vive la République : present tense, prepositions 'à' and 'de' Study Guide
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