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Year 8 - French

A school exchange: 'on' meaning 'we'

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 recognise when the pronoun 'on' means 'people in general' or 'we' in informal conversations.

Key Notes

  • The SSC [oy] sounds like a 'yih' sound after SSC [oi]. This is similar to the [i] vs [-ill-/ille] pattern.
  • We use the pronoun 'on' when talking about people in general. We translate it as 'people', 'you' or 'one'.
  • 'On' uses the 3rd person singular ('il', 'elle') verb endings.
  • 'On' can mean 'we' in an informal conversation, such as talking to friends. The verb endings are the same ('il'/'elle').
  • We have to use the context to work out if 'on' means 'people' or 'we'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [oi]: sound-symbol correspondence like the [oi] in 'voir', which means 'to see'
  • [oy]: sound-symbol correspondence like the [oy] in 'envoyer', which means 'to send'
  • on: pronoun meaning 'people in general' or 'we' in informal conversations

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The pronoun 'on' only means 'people in general'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The SSC [oy] sounds like a 'yih' sound after SSC [oi]. This is similar to the [i] vs [-ill-/ille] pattern. We use the pronoun 'on' when talking about people in general. We translate it as 'people', 'you' or 'one'.

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

sound-symbol correspondence like the [oi] in 'voir', which means 'to see'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The pronoun 'on' only means 'people in general'. Correction: The pronoun 'on' does mean 'people in general' but it is often used to mean 'we' in informal conversations, like when you are talking to friends. You will have seen this meaning before in the phrase 'on y va !' which means 'let's go!'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 French guide library.