New
New
The person or a person? Singular definite articles 'le' and 'la'
Learning outcomes
I can use the definite article with singular nouns to talk about people.
I can recognise and pronounce [en/an]
Lesson 3 of 4
New
New
- Year 7
The person or a person? Singular definite articles 'le' and 'la'
Learning outcomes
I can use the definite article with singular nouns to talk about people.
I can recognise and pronounce [en/an]
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- [en/an] sounds like ‘enfant’.
- Every noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. To say 'the', use 'le' for masculine and 'la' for feminine nouns.
- ‘Anglais’ and ‘français’ are also nouns meaning languages. We use an article with languages except after 'parler/en'.
Keywords
[en/an] - pronounced as in 'enfant'
(singular) definite article - the words 'le' and 'la', meaning 'the'
Common misconception
In French, like in English, there is only one way to say 'the'.
There is more than one word to say 'the' in French. For singular masculine nouns, use 'le', and for singular feminine nouns, use 'la'.
To make the most of listen and repeat speaking activities, teachers may consider a solo-duo-ensemble cycle whereby pupils say the phrases three times: once to themselves, once to a partner and once all together.
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.Tick the words with the SSC [é/er/ez].
Tick the words with the SSC [é/er/ez].
fenêtre
novembre
parle
Q2.Match the French verbs to the correct English translations.
Match the French verbs to the correct English translations.
Q3.Match the correct parts of this important verb together.
Match the correct parts of this important verb together.
Q4.Identify the adjectives.
Identify the adjectives.
ce/c'
qui
Q5.True or false? To say 'a' in French, there is just the word 'un'.
True or false? To say 'a' in French, there is just the word 'un'.
Q6.Put the words below in the correct order to translate the following sentence into French: 'She's a nice friend and she's quite funny'.
Put the words below in the correct order to translate the following sentence into French: 'She's a nice friend and she's quite funny'.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the French nouns below to the correct English translations.
Match the French nouns below to the correct English translations.
Q2.Which words contain [en/an]?
Which words contain [en/an]?
animal
femme
médecin
Q3.In French, the 'the' for singular masculine nouns is 'le' and the 'the' for singular feminine nouns is .
In French, the 'the' for singular masculine nouns is 'le' and the 'the' for singular feminine nouns is .
Q4.True or false? 'Français c'est sympa' is a grammatically correct sentence.
True or false? 'Français c'est sympa' is a grammatically correct sentence.
Q5.Find the odd one out (the noun with a different gender to all the others).
Find the odd one out (the noun with a different gender to all the others).
actrice
chambre
fille
idée
Q6.Put the words below in the correct order to translate the following sentence into French: 'The (male) teacher is nice and the (female) singer speaks English'.
Put the words below in the correct order to translate the following sentence into French: 'The (male) teacher is nice and the (female) singer speaks English'.
