Year 4 - French
At the zoo: 'il, elle' (it) and adjective agreement
People, places, things: adjective agreement, subject pronouns 'it'
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils use prior knowledge of 'avoir' and 'être' in cultural contexts: Mother's Day in Francophonie, the cartoon Tintin, and also the context of a trip to the zoo. New knowledge includes the subject pronouns for 'it', 'il' and 'elle''. Silent Final e, ç/c, -ien, and qu are introduced.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to form sentences describing zoo animals in French, using singular adjective agreement.
Key Notes
- The SSC (sound-symbol correspondence) [ien] is pronounced as in the word 'chien'.
- In French all nouns are either masculine or feminine. This is grammatical gender. It is not the same as male or female.
- In English, we refer to pets as 'he' or 'she' but we use 'it' to refer to animals in general.
- In French, we use il (he) and elle (she) to mean it. We use il and elle to refer both to pets and to animals in general.
- Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe in French. Regular adjectives add an -e in the feminine form.
Vocabulary To Learn
- ien: pronounced as in 'chien'
- il: French pronoun meaning he or it
- elle: French pronoun meaning she or it
- grammatical gender: all French nouns have a grammatical gender - they are either masculine or feminine
- adjective agreement: the matching of an adjective and noun in gender and number: une tortue lente
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Animals are referred to as 'it' in French, as they are in English: 'look at the tortoise, it is green'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The SSC (sound-symbol correspondence) [ien] is pronounced as in the word 'chien'. In French all nouns are either masculine or feminine. This is grammatical gender. It is not the same as male or female.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'ien'
pronounced as in 'chien'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: Animals are referred to as 'it' in French, as they are in English: 'look at the tortoise, it is green'. Correction: As all nouns have a gender in French, animals are referred to using 'il' and 'elle', depending on the gender of the noun (not the gender of the animal). Animals are therefore referred to using 'il' and 'elle': 'regarde la tortue, elle est verte'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- At the zoo: writing from a word list for reference Study Guide
- Describe what you have: adjectives after the noun Study Guide
- Describe what you have: speaking in sentences Study Guide
- Mother's day in 'la Francophonie': 'il' and 'elle' meaning 'it' Study Guide
- Mother's day in 'la Francophonie': 'mon', 'ma' and 'ton', 'ta' Study Guide
- Tintin: person nouns, 'avoir', 'être' Study Guide
- What do you have? 'J'ai' and 'tu as' Study Guide
- What it is like: adjectives after the noun Study Guide
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