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Year 7

Ask about plans: inversion questions with question words

Learning outcomes

I can ask about future plans using inversion questions with question words.

I can tell the difference between hard [g] and [j/soft g].

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New
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Year 7

Ask about plans: inversion questions with question words

Learning outcomes

I can ask about future plans using inversion questions with question words.

I can tell the difference between hard [g] and [j/soft g].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The French [g] has two sounds: soft before the letters e, i and y and hard before other letters.
  2. We use 'aller' in the present tense followed by an infinitive to talk about future plans.
  3. 'They' has two different pronouns in French: 'ils' for a male or mixed gender group and 'elles' for a female group.
  4. Questions about future plans follow the normal patterns for closed (yes/no) and information questions.
  5. When forming inversion questions for future plans, only 'aller' and the pronoun swap e.g. Vont-ils venir ?

Keywords

  • [j/soft g] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [j] in 'jour' or the [soft g] sound in 'génial'

  • Ils vont - French verb meaning they (m,f) go or they are going

  • Elles vont - French verb meaning they (f) go or they are going

  • Inversion question - when the subject pronoun and the verb switch place to form a question

Common misconception

To create inversion questions in French, you just swap the verb and subject around.

As well as swapping verb and subject, a hyphen is needed betwen the verb and the subject pronoun when forming inversion questions e.g. Vont-elles créer des vêtements ? Are they going to create clothes?


To help you plan your year 7 french lesson on: Ask about plans: inversion questions with question words, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Using students at the front of the class holding words on large sheets of paper to physically demonstrate the swapping of verb and pronoun and the addition of a hyphen when forming different inversion questions can help to highlight and explain this common mistake.
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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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following words contain the hard [g] and the [j/soft g]?
Correct answer: géographie
rouge
Correct answer: garage
girafe
Correct answer: gorge
Q2.
Match up the time phrases.
Correct Answer:demain,tomorrow
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tomorrow

Correct Answer:aujourd'hui,today
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today

Correct Answer:en ce moment,at the moment
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at the moment

Correct Answer:maintenant,now
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now

Correct Answer:à l'avenir,in the future
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in the future

Q3.
Match the English with the French.
Correct Answer:derrière,behind
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behind

Correct Answer:rue (f),street
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street

Correct Answer:devant,in front of
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in front of

Correct Answer:entre,between
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between

Correct Answer:plage (f),beach
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beach

Correct Answer:pays (m),country
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country

Q4.
Match the correct forms of the French verb 'aller' to the English.
Correct Answer:je vais,I go, am going
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I go, am going

Correct Answer:ils, elles vont,they (mfpl) go, are going
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they (mfpl) go, are going

Correct Answer:il, elle va,he, she goes, is going
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he, she goes, is going

Correct Answer:tu vas,you (singular) go, are going
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you (singular) go, are going

Correct Answer:vous allez,you (plural) go, are going
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you (plural) go, are going

Correct Answer:nous allons,we go, are going
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we go, are going

Q5.
Which of the following are types of questions?
liaison
Correct answer: information
Correct answer: intonation
Correct answer: inversion
Correct answer: closed
Q6.
Which of the following are inversion questions?
Tu vas aller au parc ?
Correct answer: Vas-tu cuisiner aujourd'hui ?
Correct answer: Allons-nous écouter la radio ?
Il va faire les devoirs ?
Nous allons regarder un film ?

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following words contain the SSC [j/soft g]?
Correct answer: jouer
Correct answer: juge
Correct answer: gilet
Correct answer: géant
gare
Q2.
Which of the following pronouns mean 'they' in French?
il
Correct answer: elles
nous
elle
Correct answer: ils
Q3.
Which is the correct translation of 'They (mpl) are going to prepare lunch.'?
Elle va préparer le déjeuner.
Nous allons préparer le déjeuner.
Il va préparer le déjeuner.
Correct answer: Ils vont préparer le déjeuner.
Elles vont préparer le déjeuner.
Q4.
Which of the following sentences express future plans?
Ils font les devoirs.
Correct answer: Elles vont regarder le match.
Elles sont à l'école.
Correct answer: Ils vont marcher aux magasins.
Correct answer: Elles vont rester à la maison.
Q5.
Match the English questions with the French translations. There is a mix of intonation and inversion question forms.
Correct Answer:Where are you (plural) going?,Où vas-tu ?
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Où vas-tu ?

Correct Answer:When are they (m) going to go?,Ils vont aller quand ?
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Ils vont aller quand ?

Correct Answer:How is he going to travel?,Comment va-t-il voyager ?
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Comment va-t-il voyager ?

Correct Answer:Who is she going to see?,Il va voir qui ?
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Il va voir qui ?

Correct Answer:What are they (f) going to do?,Elles vont faire quoi ?
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Elles vont faire quoi ?

Correct Answer:What are you (singular) going to say? ,Que vas-tu dire ?
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Que vas-tu dire ?

Q6.
Which of the following are the two different ways in French of forming the question 'When are they (fpl) going to arrive in London?'?
Correct answer: Elles vont arriver quand à Londres ?
Quand vont-ils arriver à Londres ?
Il va arriver quand à Londres ?
Correct answer: Quand vont-elles arriver à Londres ?
Ils vont arriver quand à Londres ?

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