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Year 3

A family: singular definite articles 'le' and 'la'

Learning outcomes

I can use singular verbs and definite articles to understand about family activities.

I can recognise and pronounce closed and open [eu].

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New
New
Year 3

A family: singular definite articles 'le' and 'la'

Learning outcomes

I can use singular verbs and definite articles to understand about family activities.

I can recognise and pronounce closed and open [eu].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. To say a closed vowel [eu], your tongue is near the top of your mouth, closing it.
  2. To say an open vowel [eu], your tongue is near the top of your mouth, opening it.
  3. The sound-symbol correspondence [eu] is open when followed by r, f, l, but closed before x, s.
  4. Both nouns and definite articles have a grammatical gender in French.
  5. The definite article ‘the’ in French is ‘le’ for masculine and ‘la’ for feminine nouns.

Keywords

  • [eu] - pronounced closed [eu], as in 'un peu', or open [eu], as in 'peur'

  • Noun - a word for a person, place or thing

  • Definite article - the words 'le', 'la' and 'l’', meaning 'the'

  • Grammatical gender - a way to categorise all nouns as feminine or masculine

Common misconception

'The' is always 'le'.

There are three ways to say 'the' in French in the singular. 'Le' is used in front of masculine singular nouns. 'La' is used in front of feminine singular nouns. 'L'' is used in front of singular nouns starting with a vowel.

Make sure that the pupils learn the gender of the articles and the nouns as they appear, as it is a very important part of the French language, so it is important to get this right straight from the start.
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Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the words that have the [-er], [é] and [ez] sounds.
Correct answer: parler
Correct answer: et
Correct answer: nez
elle
Correct answer: présente
Q2.
What is the pronoun 'he' in French?
Correct Answer: il, 'il'
Q3.
How do you say 'each day' in French?
tous les jours
bonjour
Correct answer: chaque jour
un jour
le jour
Q4.
What does the infinitive verb 'porter' mean?
to give, giving
Correct answer: to carry, carrying
to prepare, preparing
Correct answer: to wear, wearing
Q5.
True or false? 'Il donne' and 'tu donnes' rhyme?
Correct Answer: True
Q6.
Match the verb beginnings below to the correct verb endings.
Correct Answer:donn,er
tick

er

Correct Answer:Je donn,e
tick

e

Correct Answer:Tu donn,es
tick

es

6 Questions

Q1.
How many ways are there to pronounce the [eu] sound?
one
Correct answer: two
three
four
Q2.
True or false? [Eu] is usually open when followed by r, f, l.
Correct Answer: True
Q3.
Match the French words below to the correct English translations.
Correct Answer:donner,to give, giving
tick

to give, giving

Correct Answer:préparer,to prepare, preparing
tick

to prepare, preparing

Correct Answer:trouver,to find, finding
tick

to find, finding

Correct Answer:un frère,a brother
tick

a brother

Correct Answer:une sœur,a sister
tick

a sister

Correct Answer:une mère,a mother
tick

a mother

Q4.
'Le' and 'la' both mean 'the'. What is the third way to say 'the' in French in the singular form?
Correct Answer: L', l'
Q5.
Match the articles to the correct nouns.
Correct Answer:La,mère
tick

mère

Correct Answer:Le,père
tick

père

Correct Answer:L',animal
tick

animal

Q6.
Translate the sentence 'The mother is fun.' into French.
Correct Answer: La mère est amusante., La mère est amusante, 'La mère est amusante.', 'La mère est amusante'

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