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Food and drink: definite and partitive articles

Learning outcomes

I can use articles with specified and unspecified quantities to describe everyday life.

I can confidently pronounce [ill/ille].

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New
New

Food and drink: definite and partitive articles

Learning outcomes

I can use articles with specified and unspecified quantities to describe everyday life.

I can confidently pronounce [ill/ille].

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. [ill/ille] sounds like 'famille' with some exceptions (mille/Lille/tranquille/ville).
  2. Double 'l' after any other vowel is pronounced like a normal 'l' e.g. 'salle'.
  3. Change the partitive article (du/de la/de l') to de/d' after quantity expressions and negatives.
  4. Articles can't be omitted like in English. Use the definite article with specific nouns/giving opinions.
  5. Use the partitive article for non-specific and uncountable nouns.

Keywords

  • [ill/ille] - pronounced as in 'fille'

  • Partitive article - refers to parts of things; often means 'some' in English

Common misconception

Articles can be missed out in French like in English.

Articles can't be omitted in French. Use the definite article with specific nouns/giving opinions and the partitive article with uncountable and non-specific nouns.

If you think students need more scaffolding and modelling, you could work through task C3a1 as a class with students working independently on C3a2.
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Licence

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the different parts of the verb 'boire' - to drink.
Correct Answer:je bois,i drink

i drink

Correct Answer:tu bois,you (s) drink

you (s) drink

Correct Answer:il/elle boit,he/she drinks

he/she drinks

Correct Answer:nous buvons,we drink

we drink

Correct Answer:vous buvez,you (pl) drink

you (pl) drink

Correct Answer:ils/elles boivent,they drink

they drink

Q2.
What is an uncountable noun?
A noun which is too big to count.
Correct answer: A noun which cannot be counted, only measured, e.g. (some) music, (1kg) rice.
A noun which is too small to count.
Q3.
Put the words below into a sentence which means, 'There isn't any milk in the tea.'
1 - Il
2 - n'y a
3 - pas
4 - de
5 - lait
6 - dans
7 - le thé
Q4.
Which sentence means; 'There isn't any meat in the recipe'?
Il n'y a pas de pain dans la recette.
Il y a du lait dans la recette.
Correct answer: Il n'y a pas de viande dans la recette.
Il n'y a pas de fromage dans la recette.
Il y a de la viande dans la recette.
Q5.
Which is the odd one out?
Correct answer: mille
famille
cheville
fille
grille
Q6.
What word fills the gap? All of these nouns are : rice, music, sand, water.
Correct Answer: uncountable

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the French and the English verbs.
Correct Answer:boire,to drink, drinking

to drink, drinking

Correct Answer:gagner,to earn, earning

to earn, earning

Correct Answer:gerer,to manage, managing

to manage, managing

Correct Answer:partager,to share, sharing

to share, sharing

Correct Answer:manger,to eat, eating

to eat, eating

Correct Answer:acheter,to buy, buying

to buy, buying

Q2.
Match the French and the English .
Correct Answer:l'eau,water

water

Correct Answer:la viande,meat

meat

Correct Answer:le lait,milk

milk

Correct Answer:le café,coffee

coffee

Correct Answer:le thé,tea

tea

Correct Answer:les oranges,oranges

oranges

Q3.
Which is the correct French for 'I eat a kilo of bread.'?
Je mange un kilo du pain.
Je mange un kilo de la pain.
Je mange un kilo de l' pain.
Je mange un kilo du pain.
Correct answer: Je mange un kilo de pain.
Q4.
Which three words have the same sound for 'll' as 'famille'?
Correct answer: vanille
mille
Correct answer: fille
Correct answer: juillet
ville
Q5.
If you want to ask someone if they like bread, what would you say?
Correct Answer: Tu aimes le pain?, Aimes-tu le pain ?, Est-ce que to aimes le pain ?
Q6.
Put the sentences into the correct order to translate this passage. Noura wants to share her dinner. Noura gives some fish to Apollon. But Apollon is a dog. Dogs prefer meat. Cats prefer fish.
1 - Noura veut partager son diner.
2 - Noura donne du poisson à Apollon.
3 - Mais Apollon est un chien.
4 - Les chiens préfèrent la viande.
5 - Les chats préfèrent le poisson.

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Lesson appears in

UnitFrench / Everyday activities: preposition 'de', partitive, frequent -IR and -RE verbs

French

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