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Year 5 - French

New Year's traditions: 'vous' meaning formal you

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 distinguish between the different forms of 'you' in French and you can form sentences with -er verbs and plural nouns.

Key Notes

  • The SSCs [é], [er], [et] and [ez] are spelt differently but they make the exact same sound, as in the word: répéter.
  • There are two different ways to say 'you' in French. 'Tu' is singular (one person) and 'vous' is plural (2+ people).
  • Use 'tu' when talking to one young person or to an adult you know well.
  • Use 'vous' when talking to one adult you do not know well. 'Vous' can be both plural or formal.
  • To make a noun plural in French, often add an -s. Nouns ending in -au or -eu add -x. Nouns ending in -al change to -aux.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [é] [er] [et] [ez]: prononced as in 'bébé'
  • -er verb: French regular verb ending in -er in the infinitive form: aimer
  • vous: French pronoun meaning 'you' (when talking to more than one person or when talking to an adult you do not know well)
  • plural noun: a word that refers to more than one person, place or thing

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Like in English, there is just one way of saying 'you' in French.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The SSCs [é], [er], [et] and [ez] are spelt differently but they make the exact same sound, as in the word: répéter. There are two different ways to say 'you' in French. 'Tu' is singular (one person) and 'vous' is plural (2+ people).

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[é] [er] [et] [ez]'

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

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: Like in English, there is just one way of saying 'you' in French. Correction: In French there are in fact two ways of saying you. Use 'tu' when talking to one young person or to an adult you know well. Use 'vous' when talking to more than one person or to one adult you do not know well.

More Lessons In This Unit

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