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      Description: 'ils, elles sont' and plural adjective agreement

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can write sentences describing what people are like, using 'ils/elles sont' and plural adjective agreement.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The SSCs [on] and [om] make the same sound. They are nasal vowels. We use [om] before a 'p' or a 'b': tomber, compter.
      2. To refer to one boy we use 'il est': he is. To refer to a group of boys (or boys and girls) we use 'ils sont': they are.
      3. To refer to one girl we use 'elle est': she is. To refer to a group of girls we use 'elles sont': they are.
      4. Adjectives change spelling based on the gender and number of the noun they describe. This is called adjective agreement.

      Keywords

      • [on] - pronounced as in 'non'

      • [om] - pronounced as in 'nom'

      • Être - French verb meaning 'to be'

      • Ils, elles sont - from the verb 'être', meaning they (m/f) are

      • Adjective agreement - an adjective matching the noun it describes in gender and number

      Common misconception

      Like in English, there is one way of referring to a group of people: they.

      In French, there are two different ways of saying 'they': masculine 'ils' or feminine 'elles'.

      Teacher tip

      Play a game of guess who in the classroom, using different forms of the verb être and adective agreement. Can the pupils guess who is being described?

      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 sentence means 'he is'?

      ils sont
      nous sommes
      Correct answer: il est
      je suis
      tu es

      Q2.
      Match the French to the English.

      Correct Answer:écouter,to listen, listening

      to listen, listening

      Correct Answer:répéter,to repeat, repeating

      to repeat, repeating

      Correct Answer:tomber,to fall, falling

      to fall, falling

      Correct Answer:compter,to count, counting

      to count, counting

      Correct Answer:être,to be, being

      to be, being

      Correct Answer:lire,to read, reading

      to read, reading

      Q3.
      Order the numbers from smallest to biggest.

      1 - deux
      2 - cinq
      3 - onze
      4 - quinze
      5 - dix-neuf
      6 - vingt-quatre
      7 - trente

      Q4.
      Match the French to the English.

      Correct Answer:curieux,curious

      curious

      Correct Answer:heureux,happy

      happy

      Correct Answer:courageux,courageous, brave

      courageous, brave

      Correct Answer:sérieux,serious

      serious

      Correct Answer:faux,false

      false

      Correct Answer:vrai,true

      true

      Q5.
      Order the words to say 'she is small but she is stronger than her older brother'.

      1 - elle est
      2 - petite
      3 - mais elle
      4 - est plus
      5 - forte que
      6 - son frère
      7 - aîné

      Q6.
      'We are very sad.' Translate this sentence into French.

      Correct Answer: Nous sommes très tristes

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which words are conjunctions?

      merci
      Correct answer: et
      au revoir
      Correct answer: mais
      s'il te plait

      Q2.
      'Ils sont sérieux mais ils sont __________.' Which word completes this sentence?

      content
      Correct answer: contents
      contente
      contentes

      Q3.
      Order the months from the beginning to the end of the year.

      1 - janvier
      2 - mars
      3 - avril
      4 - juillet
      5 - août
      6 - novembre
      7 - décembre

      Q4.
      Order the words to say 'they are ill today but they are always happy'.

      1 - elles
      2 - sont
      3 - malades
      4 - aujourd'hui
      5 - mais elles
      6 - sont toujours
      7 - heureuses

      Q5.
      'My skirt is green and short.' Translate this sentence into French.

      Correct Answer: Ma jupe est verte et courte

      Q6.
      'The strawberries are too small.' Translate this sentence into French.

      Correct Answer: Les fraises sont trop petites

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