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Year 4

I'm hungry: 'avoir' meaning 'be'

Learning outcomes

I can understand 'avoir' when used to mean 'to be, being'.

I can recognise and pronounce the key sound [r].

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New
New
Year 4

I'm hungry: 'avoir' meaning 'be'

Learning outcomes

I can understand 'avoir' when used to mean 'to be, being'.

I can recognise and pronounce the key sound [r].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. French [r] is a raspy sound pronounced in the back of the throat; there is no sound like this in English.
  2. 'Avoir' means to have, having; it can also be used to mean 'to be, being', e.g. 'j'ai raison', I am right.
  3. 'Avoir' is also used for age, e.g. 'j'ai quatre ans', I am four years old.

Keywords

  • [r] - sound-symbol-correspondence (SSC) pronounced as in 'rue'

  • Avoir - French verb meaning 'avoir' which can also be translated as 'to be' with certain expressions, e.g. 'avoir faim' - to be hungry

Common misconception

The French [r] makes the exact same sound as the English 'r'.

The SSC [r] is pronounced very differently in French, compared to English. E.g. 'horrible'.


To help you plan your year 4 french lesson on: I'm hungry: 'avoir' meaning 'be', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Listen to the 'avoir' song again at the end of the lesson (it is to the tune of Bizet's opera Carmen). Pupils may wish to search for this at home and practise with the 'avoir' lyrics.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the French and the English.
Correct Answer:un chien,a dog
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a dog

Correct Answer:un sac,a bag
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a bag

Correct Answer:un ballon,a ball
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a ball

Correct Answer:une peluche,a cuddly toy
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a cuddly toy

Correct Answer:une moto,a motorbike
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a motorbike

Q2.
Match the French and the English.
Correct Answer:un cadeau,a present
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a present

Correct Answer:un gâteau,a cake
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a cake

Correct Answer:une bouteille,a bottle
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a bottle

Correct Answer:une professeure,a teacher (f)
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a teacher (f)

Correct Answer:un vélo,a bike
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a bike

Q3.
'Avoir', to have, having: match the French and the English.
Correct Answer:j'ai,I have
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I have

Correct Answer:tu as,you have
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you have

Correct Answer:il a,he has
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he has

Correct Answer:elle a,she has
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she has

Q4.
Translate: I have a dog.
Correct Answer: J'ai un chien.
Q5.
Translate: she has a motorbike.
Correct Answer: Elle a une moto.
Q6.
Translate: He has some bottles.
Correct Answer: Il a des bouteilles.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following statements are correct?
The French 'r' and the English 'r' sound the same.
Place the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth to make the French [r].
Correct answer: Your throat vibrates when making the French [r] sound.
Correct answer: The French [r] sound makes a raspy noise.
Q2.
Choose the correct form of the verb 'avoir' to match this image.
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: j'ai
tu as
il a
elle a
Q3.
Choose the correct form of the verb 'avoir' to match this image.
An image in a quiz
j'ai
tu as
il a
Correct answer: elle a
Q4.
Match the French and the English.
Correct Answer:faim,hunger (hungry)
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hunger (hungry)

Correct Answer:soif,thirst (thirsty)
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thirst (thirsty)

Correct Answer:raison,reason (right)
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reason (right)

Correct Answer:tort,fault (wrong)
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fault (wrong)

Correct Answer:ans,years
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years

Q5.
In which of the following can the verb avoir be translated as 'to be'?
J'ai un chien.
Correct answer: Tu as faim.
Correct answer: Il a trois ans.
Elle a une professeure.
Correct answer: J'ai raison.
Q6.
Translate: she is thirsty.
Correct Answer: Elle a soif

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