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Year 7 - French

Describe people: 'être' 3rd person plural and regular plural adjectives

Family life: numbers, plural nouns, plural 'avoir' & 'être'

Unit Summary

Pupils extend their knowledge of 'être'and 'avoir' to include plural forms. 'il y a' is introduced with numbers and nouns. Pupils consolidate regular plural 's' on nouns and adjectives, adjective agreement and indefinite articles, including the plural 'des'. Sound spelling links are revisited.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use 'ils sont' and 'elles sont' with regular plural adjectives to describe what they (masculine and feminine) are like.

Key Notes

  • 'Nous sommes' and 'vous êtes' are the 1st and 2nd persons plural of the verb 'être' ('to be, being').
  • 'Ils sont' and 'elles sont' are the third person plural of the verb 'être' ('to be, being').
  • Adjectives often add -e in the feminine form, this is regular adjective gender agreement.
  • Adjectives often add -s as the regular marker in the plural form.
  • Describing a photograph is a useful exercise to consolidate key grammar and vocabulary.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • être: irregular French verb meaning 'to be, being'
  • ils sont: part of the verb 'être' meaning 'they are' (m, m/f)
  • elles sont: part of the verb 'être' meaning 'they are' (f)
  • adjective agreement: when the ending of an adjective matches the noun it describes in gender and number

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is just one way of referring to 'they' in French, as in English.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

'Nous sommes' and 'vous êtes' are the 1st and 2nd persons plural of the verb 'être' ('to be, being'). 'Ils sont' and 'elles sont' are the third person plural of the verb 'être' ('to be, being').

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

irregular French verb meaning 'to be, being'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: There is just one way of referring to 'they' in French, as in English. Correction: There is both a masculine and feminine form of the pronoun 'they'. Use 'ils' when referring to a group of boys or a group of boys and girls, and use 'elles' when referring to a group of girls.

More Lessons In This Unit

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