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Year 8

Jobs: plural 'avoir' or 'être'. Article use with professions

Learning outcomes

I can use plural forms of 'être' and 'avoir' and articles to talk about jobs.

I can distinguish 'ils ont' from 'ils sont' using s-liaison.

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New
New
Year 8

Jobs: plural 'avoir' or 'être'. Article use with professions

Learning outcomes

I can use plural forms of 'être' and 'avoir' and articles to talk about jobs.

I can distinguish 'ils ont' from 'ils sont' using s-liaison.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Omit indefinite articles with être + profession but include articles when describing jobs in general or with adjectives.
  2. être means 'to be, being', nous sommes means 'we are', vous êtes means 'you are' and ils/elles sont means 'they are'.
  3. avoir means 'to have, having', nous avons means 'we have', vous avez means 'you have' and ils/elles ont is 'they have'.
  4. Pronounce the 's' at the end of 'ils' when it is followed by a vowel; it sounds like a 'z'.

Keywords

  • Avoir - verb 'to have, having'

  • Être - verb 'to be, being'

  • Liaison - pronouncing a usually silent final consonant because a vowel follows

Common misconception

'Ils ont' and 'ils sont' sound the same.

Although these two verbs sound similar, there is a distinction between the 'z' sound created by s-liaison in 'ils ont' and the 's' sound at the beginning of 'sont' after the silent 's' on 'ils'.


To help you plan your year 8 french lesson on: Jobs: plural 'avoir' or 'être'. Article use with professions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Pupils will benefit from brief, but frequent revisiting of être and avoir. One way to do this is to reprieve the song. Playing a previously learnt song at the beginning of the lesson is a great way to help pupils settle quickly and tune in to the sounds of the new language.
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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.
What does 'avoir' mean in English
to be
Correct answer: to have
to listen
to speak
to write
Q2.
Match the English to the French.
Correct Answer:je dors,I sleep, am sleeping
tick

I sleep, am sleeping

Correct Answer:je suis,I am
tick

I am

Correct Answer:il / elle est,he/she is
tick

he/she is

Correct Answer:il / elle dort,he/she sleeps, is sleeping
tick

he/she sleeps, is sleeping

Correct Answer:j'ai,I have
tick

I have

Correct Answer:il / elle est,he/she has
tick

he/she has

Q3.
Match the English to the French.
Correct Answer:assez,quite
tick

quite

Correct Answer:billet,ticket
tick

ticket

Correct Answer:parfois,sometimes
tick

sometimes

Correct Answer:sous,under
tick

under

Correct Answer:sur,on
tick

on

Correct Answer:visiter,to visit
tick

to visit

Q4.
What is the negative form of 'il y a'?
Correct Answer: il n'y a pas
Q5.
Make the statement into a question using 'est-ce que': tu es prudent.
Correct Answer: Est-ce que tu es prudent ?
Q6.
Yes/no questions in French can be formed using intonation, est-ce que or ...
Correct Answer: inversion

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the jobs in English and French.
Correct Answer:directeur,male headteacher
tick

male headteacher

Correct Answer:directrice,female headteacher
tick

female headteacher

Correct Answer:avocat(e),lawyer
tick

lawyer

Correct Answer:serveur,waiter
tick

waiter

Correct Answer:facteur,postman
tick

postman

Correct Answer:médecin,doctor
tick

doctor

Q2.
Which of the following phrases have a liaison?
Correct answer: ils ont
elles sont
Correct answer: nous avons
tu as
Correct answer: vous êtes
Q3.
How do you say 'they have' when referring to a group of boys and girls, in French?
Correct Answer: ils ont
Q4.
Add the missing word to the sentence 'She wants to be a secretary in a big office'. 'Elle veut être dans un grand bureau'.
Correct Answer: secrétaire
Q5.
He is a lawyer and they have a lawyer.
1 - il
2 - est
3 - avocat
4 - et
5 - ils
6 - ont
7 - un avocat
Q6.
What is the French word for 'quite'?
Correct Answer: assez

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