New
New
Year 5

Teachers: 'nous sommes' and plural adjective agreement

Learning outcomes

I can write sentences describing what we are like, using 'nous sommes' and plural adjective agreement.

I can recognise, contrast and pronounce the SSCs [a] and [an/en].

New
New
Year 5

Teachers: 'nous sommes' and plural adjective agreement

Learning outcomes

I can write sentences describing what we are like, using 'nous sommes' and plural adjective agreement.

I can recognise, contrast and pronounce the SSCs [a] and [an/en].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The sound [an/en] makes a nasal sound. When you say a nasal vowel, air passes through your nose and your mouth.
  2. The sound [a] makes an oral sound. When you say an oral vowel, air passes through your mouth.
  3. The verb 'être' means to be, being. 'Nous sommes' means we are. It is the first person plural of 'être'.
  4. Adjectives change spelling based on the gender and number of the noun they describe. This is called adjective agreement.
  5. We often add an 's' to adjectives in the plural form. It is a SFC (silent final consonant).

Keywords

  • [a] - pronounced as in 'banane'

  • [an/en] - pronounced as in 'enfant'

  • Nous sommes - first person plural of the verb être (to be): we are

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

Common misconception

You can pronounce the 's' in plural adjectives: contents.

The 's' is often silent at the end of a word, it is an SFC. The 's' in plural adjectives is silent.


To help you plan your year 5 French lesson on: Teachers: 'nous sommes' and plural adjective agreement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use pupils in the class when explaining adjective agreement. Ask pupils to group together to demonstrate 'nous sommes' with masculine and feminine adjectives in the plural form.
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Equipment

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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means 'funny'?

grand
Correct answer: drôle
jaune
fort
jeune

Q2.
Match the French to the English.

Correct Answer:lire,to read, reading

to read, reading

Correct Answer:écrire,to write, writing

to write, writing

Correct Answer:écouter,to listen, listening

to listen, listening

Correct Answer:être,to be, being

to be, being

Correct Answer:répéter,to repeat, repeating

to repeat, repeating

Correct Answer:parler,to speak, speaking

to speak, speaking

Q3.
Match the French to the English.

Correct Answer:absent,absent

absent

Correct Answer:calme,calm

calm

Correct Answer:amusant,funny

funny

Correct Answer:content,pleased

pleased

Correct Answer:différent,different

different

Correct Answer:difficile,difficult

difficult

Q4.
Order the words to say 'We are small but we can do a lot'.

1 - nous
2 - sommes
3 - petites
4 - mais
5 - nous pouvons
6 - faire
7 - beaucoup

Q5.
'We are careful.' Translate this sentence into French.

Correct Answer: Nous sommes prudents, Nous sommes prudentes

Q6.
'I am intelligent and calm.' Translate this sentence into French.

Correct Answer: Je suis intelligent et calme, Je suis intelligente et calme

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Tu es jeune mais tu es triste.' What is the best translation for this sentence?

I am young but I am sad.
You are young and you are happy.
Correct answer: You are young but you are sad.
You are yellow but you are sad.
You are young but you are tired.

Q2.
Match the French to the English.

Correct Answer:stricte,strict

strict

Correct Answer:sage,wise

wise

Correct Answer:rapide,fast

fast

Correct Answer:prudent,careful

careful

Correct Answer:petit,small

small

Correct Answer:préféré,favourite

favourite

Q3.
Order the words to say 'he is ill therefore he must stay in his bed'.

1 - il
2 - est
3 - malade
4 - donc il
5 - doit
6 - rester dans
7 - son lit

Q4.
Order the words to say 'I am slow but you are fast'.

1 - je
2 - suis
3 - lent
4 - mais
5 - tu
6 - es
7 - rapide

Q5.
Translate to English: 'Les devoirs sont importants.'

Correct Answer: The homework is important

Q6.
Translate toe English: 'The children are very pleased.'

Correct Answer: Les enfants sont très contents

Additional material

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