New
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Canada: 'dans' and 'à' both meaning 'in' and 'to'
I can use my knowledge of singular forms of 'aller' with the correct preposition to say where I and others are going 'to'.
Lesson 2 of 3
New
New
- Year 6
Canada: 'dans' and 'à' both meaning 'in' and 'to'
I can use my knowledge of singular forms of 'aller' with the correct preposition to say where I and others are going 'to'.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The verb 'aller' is irregular and means 'to go'. 'Je vais' is 'I go', 'il va' is 'he goes' and 'elle va' is 'she goes'.
- The 's' of 'je vais' is normally an SFC but if followed by a vowel like 'à', you pronounce it; this is called liaison.
- The word 'dans' means 'in'. After 'aller' it can mean 'into' or just 'to', e.g. 'je vais dans le parc'.
- Use 'à' to talk about going to or being in a town or city; use 'dans' to talk about going to a cardinal point.
- Use 'en' to talk about going to a feminine country, use 'au' (à + le) to talk about going to a masculine country/region.
Keywords
Dans - French preposition meaning 'in', 'into' 'inside' or 'to'
À - French preposition meaning 'at, 'to' or 'in'
Au - 'à' + 'le'
En - French preposition meaning 'in', 'by' or 'to'
Common misconception
I use 'à' for 'to' with cities and 'en' for countries.
We use 'en' to say 'to' for feminine countries, e.g. 'je vais en France'. If a country is masculine, however, we use 'au', e.g. 'je vais au Portugal'.
This lesson mentions Canadian cities Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. You may wish to explore these places in more detail with your students.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which phrase means 'she goes'?
Which phrase means 'she goes'?
je vais
tu vas
il va
Q2.What does 'Il va dans le Sud.' mean?
What does 'Il va dans le Sud.' mean?
She is going to the south.
He is going to the west.
She is going to the east.
He is going to the north.
Q3.Match the weather expressions.
Match the weather expressions.
Q4.Order the words to form a sentence.
Order the words to form a sentence.
Q5.What does 'Est' mean?
What does 'Est' mean?
Q6.Fill in the missing word: 'Il va l'Ouest.'
Fill in the missing word: 'Il va l'Ouest.'
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is the capital of Canada?
What is the capital of Canada?
Vancouver
New York
Washington
Toronto
Q2.Which sentences refer to a masculine country?
Which sentences refer to a masculine country?
Je vais en Italie.
Je vais en Espagne.
Je vais en France.
Q3.Order the words to form a sentence.
Order the words to form a sentence.
Q4.He is going to the museum.' - 'Il dans le musée.' Write the correct missing word.
He is going to the museum.' - 'Il dans le musée.' Write the correct missing word.
Q5.Write in English: 'elle va à Ottawa'.
Write in English: 'elle va à Ottawa'.
