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Year 5 - French

Back to school: information questions with 'qui' and 'comment'

Me and others: plural 'être' and regular adjectives

Unit Summary

In this unit, in the context of school, pupils use singular and plural 'être' and adjectives, numbers 16-31 and intonation questions to understand a story, describe teachers and friends, talk about birthdays and important cultural dates. Several key sound-symbol correspondences are revisited.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to ask and answer questions in French about myself and others using the question words 'comment' and 'qui'.

Key Notes

  • The final consonant of a word is often silent in French. We call this SFC for Silent Final Consonant: dans.
  • The verb être means to be or being. Use the verb être with adjectives to describe people: il est heureux.
  • An adjective must agree with the gender of the noun it describes; this is called adjective agreement: elle est heureuse.
  • After the verb être, a liaison is optional: je suis amusante (you can pronounce the SFC 's' or not).
  • To ask an information question, put a question word at the end of a statement. 'Comment' is how and 'qui' is who.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • SFC: silent final consonant, as in 'dans'
  • être: French verb meaning 'to be'
  • feminine form: form of an adjective that describes a girl, woman or feminine noun
  • liaison: pronouncing a usually silent final consonant when followed by a vowel: je suis anglais
  • comment, qui: questions words meaning 'how' and 'who'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is always a liaison after a word ending in a SFC and a next word beginning with a vowel.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The final consonant of a word is often silent in French. We call this SFC for Silent Final Consonant: dans. The verb être means to be or being. Use the verb être with adjectives to describe people: il est heureux.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'SFC'

silent final consonant, as in 'dans'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: There is always a liaison after a word ending in a SFC and a next word beginning with a vowel. Correction: After the verb être, a liaison is in fact optional: je suis amusante (you can pronounce the SFC 's' or not).

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 5 French guide library.