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Year 5 - French

In the classroom: 'ils' and 'elles' meaning 'they' for nouns

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 write sentences describing nouns using the pronouns 'ils' and 'elles'.

Key Notes

  • The sound [eu] can be pronounced as an open or closed vowel sound, like in 'peur' or 'un peu'.
  • The closed [eu] is pronounced like 'un peu'; your tongue is near the top of your mouth.
  • The open [eu] is pronounced like 'peur'; your tongue is near the bottom of your mouth. The mouth is more open.
  • 'Il' is he and 'elle' is she. 'They' is 'ils' (a groups of boys, or boys and girls) and 'elles' (a group of girls).
  • We can also use 'il' and 'elle' to mean 'it', and 'ils' and 'elles' to mean 'they' referring to both people and things.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • closed [eu]: closed vowel SSC (sound-symbol correspondence) pronounced as in 'un peu'
  • open [eu]: open vowel SSC (sound-symbol correspondence) pronounced as in 'peur'
  • ils: French pronoun meaning 'they' used for masculine nouns
  • elles: French pronoun meaning 'they' used for feminine nouns

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is only one way of saying 'they' in French.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The sound [eu] can be pronounced as an open or closed vowel sound, like in 'peur' or 'un peu'. The closed [eu] is pronounced like 'un peu'; your tongue is near the top of your mouth.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'closed [eu]'

closed vowel SSC (sound-symbol correspondence) pronounced as in 'un peu'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: There is only one way of saying 'they' in French. Correction: There are in fact two ways of saying 'they' in French, depending on whether it is referring to a feminine (elles) or a masculine (ils) noun.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 5 French guide library.