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New
New
Year 3

Is it going ok? 'Ça va ?'

Learning outcomes

I can ask and answer the question 'Ça va ?'

I can spot rhymes even when word-final spelling is different.

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New
New
Year 3

Is it going ok? 'Ça va ?'

Learning outcomes

I can ask and answer the question 'Ça va ?'

I can spot rhymes even when word-final spelling is different.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Silent final consonants -s and -t can be practised by listening and matching speech to written words.
  2. Ça va can be the question ‘Is it going ok? or ‘how’s it going’? and the answer ‘it’s ok’.
  3. Different word-final spellings can have the same final sound, e.g., the -yn in Jocelyn and -en in bien.

Keywords

  • SFC (Silent Final Consonant) - Silent letter (d, s, t, x) at the end of a word.

  • Intonation - The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.

  • Bien - Adverb meaning 'well'.

  • Mal - Adverb meaning 'bad'.

Common misconception

'Ça va ?' means 'How are you?' - it can only be a question.

‘Ça va ?’ with raised intonation at the end of the sentence is a question and means ‘is it going ok? or ‘how’s it going’?. ‘Ça va’ without intonation is a statement and means ‘it’s going ok’.


To help you plan your year 3 french lesson on: Is it going ok? 'Ça va ?', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may want to practise the song further as a call and response song in different groups, one group singing the question 'Ça va ?' and the other group responding with the answers. This could also be sung at the start of the lesson as a revision activity.
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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.
Which of the following letters can you pronounce at the end of a word?
s
t
Correct answer: c
Correct answer: r
Correct answer: l
Q2.
True or false? You must leave a space before a ? or a ! in French.
Correct Answer: True, true, right
Q3.
To ask a question in French you your voice at the end of the sentence.
Correct Answer: raise
Q4.
How would you greet a woman you do not know well?
Salut Madame !
Bonjour Monsieur !
Correct answer: Bonjour Madame !
Salut Monsieur !
Au revoir Madame !
Q5.
How would you greet a man you do not know well?
Correct Answer: Bonjour Monsieur !, bonjour monsieur, Bonjour Monsieur!
Q6.
Match the French and the English
Correct Answer:present,présent
tick

présent

Correct Answer:absent,absent
tick

absent

Correct Answer:here,ici
tick

ici

Correct Answer:there,
tick

Correct Answer:yes,oui
tick

oui

Correct Answer:no,non
tick

non

6 Questions

Q1.
What is an SFC?
A vowel at the end of a word which is silent.
Correct answer: A consonant at the end of a word which is silent.
A vowel at the end of a word which is pronounced.
A consonant at the end of a word which is pronouned.
Q2.
Which four letters are not SFCs?
Correct answer: c, r, f, l
b, d, t, x
s, t, d, x
c, s, f, l
Q3.
Choose the correct meaning. 'Ça va ?'
It is going okay.
Correct answer: How's it going?
Is it going badly?
It's going well.
Q4.
Choose the correct meaning. 'Ça va mal.'
It's going well.
How's it going?
Is it going badly?
Correct answer: It's going badly.
Q5.
How do you say 'well' in French
Correct Answer: bien, Bien
Q6.
How do you say 'bad' or 'badly' in French?
Correct Answer: mal, Mal

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