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Year 3 - French

A family: singular definite articles 'le' and 'la'

What I and others do: singular regular -er verbs

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils use -er infinitive and singular forms to talk about activities in school and at home. New sounds are complemetary er/é/ez, and contrastive eu, è/ê. New vocabulary is selected for its frequency and contexts, and pupils anchor previously taught vocabulary in new contexts.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use singular verbs and definite articles to understand about family activities.

Key Notes

  • To say a closed vowel [eu], your tongue is near the top of your mouth, closing it.
  • To say an open vowel [eu], your tongue is near the top of your mouth, opening it.
  • The sound-symbol correspondence [eu] is open when followed by r, f, l, but closed before x, s.
  • Both nouns and definite articles have a grammatical gender in French.
  • The definite article 'the' in French is 'le' for masculine and 'la' for feminine nouns.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [eu]: pronounced closed [eu], as in 'un peu', or open [eu], as in 'peur'
  • noun: a word for a person, place or thing
  • definite article: the words 'le', 'la' and 'l'', meaning 'the'
  • grammatical gender: a way to categorise all nouns as feminine or masculine

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • 'The' is always 'le'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

To say a closed vowel [eu], your tongue is near the top of your mouth, closing it. To say an open vowel [eu], your tongue is near the top of your mouth, opening it.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[eu]'

pronounced closed [eu], as in 'un peu', or open [eu], as in 'peur'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: 'The' is always 'le'. Correction: There are three ways to say 'the' in French in the singular. 'Le' is used in front of masculine singular nouns. 'La' is used in front of feminine singular nouns. 'L'' is used in front of singular nouns starting with a vowel.

More Lessons In This Unit

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