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Year 5 - French

La Chandeleur: negation, -er singular verbs

Celebrations in France and Haiti: plural -ER verbs, est-ce que, negation

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils use plural -er verbs, negation and est-ce que questions to ask and answer about important festivals in France and Haiti, including Christmas, New Year, Haitian Independence, 'La Chandeleur' and Mardi Gras. Knowledge of key 'e' sounds is strengthened.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to form negative sentences in French using 'ne ... pas'.

Key Notes

  • Accents can change the pronunciation of a letter. This is an acute accent: é, grave accent: è, a circumflex accent: ê.
  • La Chandeleur is a popular 'fête' in France, it is a similar celebration to 'Shrove Tuesday'.
  • A negative sentence states something that is not true or is not happening.
  • In English, we add 'don't' before the verb. In French we use 'ne' and 'pas' around the verb: je ne chante pas.
  • Before a vowel 'ne' changes to: n' (je n'aime pas les chiens).

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [è/ê]: pronounced as in 'fête'
  • [é] [er] [et] [ez]: pronounced as in 'bébé'
  • negative: a statement which denies or expresses negative meaning, e.g. 'je ne chante pas'; in French this includes two elements, e.g. 'ne … pas', around the main verb
  • ne ... pas: used around a verb to make it negative: je ne chante pas

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • An accent does not change the pronunciation of a letter, [e], [é] and [è] sound the same.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Accents can change the pronunciation of a letter. This is an acute accent: é, grave accent: è, a circumflex accent: ê. La Chandeleur is a popular 'fête' in France, it is a similar celebration to 'Shrove Tuesday'.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[è/ê]'

pronounced as in 'fête'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: An accent does not change the pronunciation of a letter, [e], [é] and [è] sound the same. Correction: An accent can change the pronunciation of a letter. [e], [é] and [è] make different sounds in French.

More Lessons In This Unit

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