Year 4 - French
Describe what you have: adjectives after the noun
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 describe what you, you and others have using postnominal adjectives.
Key Notes
- Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in French. They can be either masculine or feminine.
- Regular feminine adjectives add an -e: une voiture lente. This is a SFe (silent final e).
- In English, adjectives come before the noun: 'a grey bike'.
- In French, most adjectives go after the noun: 'un vélo gris'. These are called postnominal adjectives.
- 'J'ai' means 'I have' and 'tu as' means 'you have'. These are singular forms of the verb 'avoir'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- SFe: silent final e at the end of a word
- feminine adjective: form of an adjective that describes a girl, woman or feminine noun (regular adjectives add an -e in the feminine form)
- postnominal adjective: adjective which comes after the noun in French, e.g. 'un vélo gris'
- avoir: French infinitive verb meaning 'to have, having'
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- 'Il a' and 'il y a' sound similar and can be confused.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in French. They can be either masculine or feminine. Regular feminine adjectives add an -e: une voiture lente. This is a SFe (silent final e).
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'SFe'
silent final e at the end of a word. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: 'Il a' and 'il y a' sound similar and can be confused. Correction: 'Il a' and 'il y a', despite sounding similar, are in fact different and have different meanings. 'Il a' means 'he has', 'il y a' means 'there is' or 'there are'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- At the zoo: 'il, elle' (it) and adjective agreement Study Guide
- At the zoo: writing from a word list for reference 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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