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Year 8 - French

A school exchange: formal 'you' and informal plural 'vous'

School life: -IR verbs in the present, uses of 'vous' and 'on'

Unit Summary

Here pupils extend their knowledge of -ir verbs like sortir and venir and add verbs like choisir in all forms. The formal 'vous' and 'on' and the present tense with future meaning give pupils more options to talk with others about activities and routines. Liaison, elision with h is taught.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the pronoun 'vous' to talk to one person in a formal situation.

Key Notes

  • The SSC [oy] sounds like [oi] + 'yih', like the [oy] in 'envoyer', which means 'to send'.
  • The pronoun 'vous' means you (pl), but it can also mean you (sing) when you talk to one person in a formal situation.
  • This could be an older person, someone in a position of responsibility or an adult you don't know well.
  • We use 'tu' for you (sing) in informal situations, such as when we talk to friends, family and children.
  • There are two ways of saying please in French: 's'il te plait' (informal) and 's'il vous plait' (formal).

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [oy]: sound-symbol correspondence like the [oy] in 'envoyer', which means 'to send'
  • tu: you (singular informal)
  • vous: you (plural, or singular formal)

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is only one way to say please to a person in French: 's'il vous plait'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The SSC [oy] sounds like [oi] + 'yih', like the [oy] in 'envoyer', which means 'to send'. The pronoun 'vous' means you (pl), but it can also mean you (sing) when you talk to one person in a formal situation.

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

sound-symbol correspondence like the [oy] in 'envoyer', which means 'to send'. 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 to say please to a person in French: 's'il vous plait'. Correction: There are two ways to say please in French: 'sil vous plait' for someone you don't know very well or someone in a position of responsibility like your teacher. But for friends and family you use 's'il te plait'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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