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      What is he or she like? Intonation questions

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use ‘être’ with adjectives to ask and answer intonation questions and write short sentences describing people.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. The sound-correspondence [an/en] can be practised with similar but contrasting sounds.
      2. ‘Je suis’, ‘tu es’ and ‘elle, il est’ are all parts of the verb ‘être’ (to be, being).
      3. Statements become yes/no questions by raising your tone of voice at the end.

      Keywords

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

      • Il est / elle est - from the verb 'être', meaning ‘he is / she is’

      • Intonation - the rise and fall of the voice in speaking

      • Adjective agreement - a change in adjective ending; for example, adding -e to describe a girl or woman

      Common misconception

      Changing intonation doesn't affect meaning.

      If you raise your voice at the end, you can turn a statement into a question.

      Teacher tip

      Once the 'guess who' game in the third learning cycle is completed, you may wish to do a 'guess who' activity in the class, allowing pupils to guess different class members using intonation questions, if you feel it appropriate.

      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.
      Read the word 'maman'. Do you hear an oral sound, a nasal sound, or both?

      oral sound
      nasal sound
      Correct answer: oral sound and nasal sound

      Q2.
      Choose the words with a nasal sound.

      Correct answer: grand
      malade
      Correct answer: anglais
      Correct answer: content
      sac

      Q3.
      Match the French adjectives below to the correct English translations.

      Correct Answer:sick, ill,malade
      Correct Answer:pleased,content
      Correct Answer:intelligent,intelligent
      Correct Answer:amusing, fun,amusant
      Correct Answer:méchant,mean
      Correct Answer:calm,calme

      Q4.
      Choose the odd one out.

      amusant
      méchant
      Correct answer: grande
      petit

      Q5.
      Change the following adjective into the feminine form: 'petit'.

      Correct Answer: petite, 'petite'

      Q6.
      Choose the adjectives that do not change in their masculine and feminine forms.

      Correct answer: calme
      contente
      Correct answer: triste
      petite
      Correct answer: malade

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Say the words pictured below out loud. Which words have a nasal sound?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz

      Q2.
      Match up the correct verb parts.

      Correct Answer:je,suis
      Correct Answer:tu,es
      Correct Answer:elle,est

      Q3.
      How do you say 'he is' in French?

      Correct Answer: il est, 'il est'

      Q4.
      Who is being described in the following sentence? 'Il est malade.'

      Correct answer: Pierre (a boy)
      Clémentine (a girl)
      we don't know

      Q5.
      To ask a closed 'yes' or 'no' question is French, change the at the end of the sentence.

      Correct Answer: intonation

      Q6.
      Look at the image pictured below and answer the following question with a yes or no in French: 'Elle est contente ?'

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: non

      To help you plan your 3 French lesson on: What is he or she like? Intonation questions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...