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      New Year's traditions: 'vous' meaning formal you

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can distinguish between the different forms of 'you' in French and I can form sentences with -er verbs and plural nouns.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The SSCs [é], [er], [et] and [ez] are spelt differently but they make the exact same sound, as in the word: répéter.
      2. There are two different ways to say 'you' in French. 'Tu' is singular (one person) and 'vous' is plural (2+ people).
      3. Use 'tu' when talking to one young person or to an adult you know well.
      4. Use 'vous' when talking to one adult you do not know well. 'Vous' can be both plural or formal.
      5. To make a noun plural in French, often add an -s. Nouns ending in -au or -eu add -x. Nouns ending in -al change to -aux.

      Keywords

      • [é] [er] [et] [ez] - prononced as in 'bébé'

      • -er verb - French regular verb ending in -er in the infinitive form: aimer

      • Vous - French pronoun meaning ‘you’ (when talking to more than one person or when talking to an adult you do not know well)

      • Plural noun - a word that refers to more than one person, place or thing

      Common misconception

      Like in English, there is just one way of saying 'you' in French.

      In French there are in fact two ways of saying you. Use 'tu' when talking to one young person or to an adult you know well. Use 'vous' when talking to more than one person or to one adult you do not know well.

      Teacher tip

      List different people (i.e teachers or pupils in your school or your community) and pupils must decipher whether they would address them as 'tu' or as 'vous'.

      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.
      Match the words.

      Correct Answer:cadeau,present

      present

      Correct Answer:cheval,horse

      horse

      Correct Answer:crayon,pencil

      pencil

      Correct Answer:fanal,lantern

      lantern

      Correct Answer:fleur,flower

      flower

      Correct Answer:gâteau,cake

      cake

      Q2.
      Give the English for 'gomme'.

      Correct Answer: rubber, eraser

      Q3.
      Which word means poster?

      crayon
      gomme
      Correct answer: affiche
      trousse
      ordinateur

      Q4.
      Which items might you find in a pencil case?

      Correct answer: une gomme
      une fleur
      Correct answer: un crayon
      un cheval
      un ordinateur

      Q5.
      Put the months in the correct order starting with December.

      1 - décembre
      2 - janvier
      3 - février
      4 - mars
      5 - avril
      6 - mai
      7 - juin

      Q6.
      Give the English for 'faux'.

      Correct Answer: false

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      On which date is 'le jour de l’an'

      25 December
      26 December
      31 December
      Correct answer: 1 January

      Q2.
      Which of these words mean 'you'?

      il
      je
      nous
      Correct answer: tu
      Correct answer: vous

      Q3.
      If you were talking to your teacher, would you use 'tu' (you) or 'vous' (you)?

      Correct Answer: Vous

      Q4.
      Which is the odd one out (pronunciation)?

      bébé
      nez
      jouer
      Correct answer: intelligente
      et

      Q5.
      Which is the correct plural for 'cheval'?

      chevals
      chevax
      Correct answer: chevaux
      chevalx

      To help you plan your 5 French lesson on: New Year's traditions: 'vous' meaning formal you, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...