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Year 9 - French

Quebec: 'connaitre' and 'savoir'

Canada: verbs in the present, negation

Unit Summary

This unit consolidates -re verbs like entendre, and introduces 'connaître in singular forms. The use of à (meaning to) for masculine countries in introduced, building on existing knowledge of à and en meaning to for cities and feminine countries.The negative 'ne...jamais' is introduced.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the verbs 'connaitre' and 'savoir' correctly to talk about what you know in the context of a French speaking region.

Key Notes

  • Quebec is a region on the East Coast of Canada, the only Canadian province with French as its only official language.
  • Connaître is conjugated as follows in the present tense singular: connais, connais, connaît.
  • 'Connaitre' and 'savoir' both mean 'to know'. 'Connaitre' means knowing/being familiar with a person/place/thing.
  • 'Savoir' means 'can/know how to' when used as a modal verb + 'know' when used alone or with a question word/ 'que'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • connaitre: to know, knowing, to be familiar with, being familiar with
  • savoir: to know how to, knowing how to

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • 'Connaitre' and 'savoir' both mean 'know' so they can be used interchangeably.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Quebec is a region on the East Coast of Canada, the only Canadian province with French as its only official language. Connaître is conjugated as follows in the present tense singular: connais, connais, connaît.

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

to know, knowing, to be familiar with, being familiar with. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: 'Connaitre' and 'savoir' both mean 'know' so they can be used interchangeably. Correction: 'Connaitre' and 'savoir' both mean 'know', but 'connaitre' is used for being familiar with people/places/things, whereas 'savoir' usually means 'to know how to' or used on its own/with 'que'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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