New
New
Year 6

Numbers 1-31: 'il n'y a pas de'

Learning outcomes

I can use my knowledge of numbers, ‘il y a’ and ‘il n’y a pas de’ to understand and give descriptions of school facilities.

Revisiting the sound-symbol correspondence [oi].

New
New
Year 6

Numbers 1-31: 'il n'y a pas de'

Learning outcomes

I can use my knowledge of numbers, ‘il y a’ and ‘il n’y a pas de’ to understand and give descriptions of school facilities.

Revisiting the sound-symbol correspondence [oi].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The sound-symbol correspondence [oi] is pronounced as in the verb 'voir' (to see).
  2. Numbers 1-31 in French can be tricky to remember and so they must be practised regularly.
  3. To say how many of something there is/are in French, use 'il y a' + number or 'des' (some). 'Il y a trois salles'.
  4. To say 'there isn't a/an' or 'there aren't any' in French, use 'il n'y a pas de/d''. 'Il n'y a pas de salles.'
  5. 'Il n'y a pas' is always followed by 'de' or 'd'', never by 'un/une' or 'des'.

Keywords

  • Il y a - ‘there is’ or ‘there are’ in French

  • Un, une - ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘one’ in French

  • Des - ‘some’ in French

  • Il n'y a pas de, d' - ‘there isn’t a/an’ or ‘there aren’t any’ in French

Common misconception

'Il n’y a pas' can be followed by 'un, une' or 'des'.

'Il n’y a pas' is always followed by 'de' or 'd’', never 'un, une' or 'des'. For example: 'il y a DES professeurs' (there are some teachers), 'il n’y a pas DE professeurs' (there aren’t any teachers).


To help you plan your year 6 French lesson on: Numbers 1-31: 'il n'y a pas de', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Due to the small but important change in sentence structure when the negated version of 'il y a' is used, visual aids through 'human sentences' (one pupil holds up each word in French to correctly translate sentences) can help students lock in this new knowledge.
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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.
Match the French word to its English meaning.

Correct Answer:une fenêtre,a window

a window

Correct Answer:une chaise,a chair

a chair

Correct Answer:une idée,an idea

an idea

Correct Answer:un ordinateur,a computer

a computer

Q2.
How do you say "There are three chairs" in French?

Correct Answer: il y a trois chaises

Q3.
Put these words in order to make a sentence. Start with 'il'.

1 - il
2 - y
3 - a
4 - une
5 - lampe

Q4.
Complete the sentence: Il y a portes. (There are twenty doors.) Use the French word in full.

Correct Answer: vingt

Q5.
Match the French numbers to the correct digits.

Correct Answer:vingt,20

20

Correct Answer:vingt-deux,22

22

Correct Answer:vingt-cinq,25

25

Correct Answer:vingt-huit,28

28

Correct Answer:trente,30

30

Correct Answer:trente-et-un,31

31

Q6.
What is the French for 'There are sixteen questions'? Use the full word for the number sixteen.

Correct Answer: il y a seize questions

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What number is dix-huit?

Correct Answer: 18, eighteen

Q2.
Which of these words has the [oi] sound as in voir?

maison
Correct answer: voici
chanson
ordinateur

Q3.
Put these numbers in the correct order from smallest to largest.

1 - douze
2 - dix-sept
3 - vingt-huit
4 - trente-et-un
5 - trente-sept
6 - trente-neuf

Q4.
Match each French sentence to the correct English translation.

Correct Answer:Il y a trois chaises.,There are three chairs.

There are three chairs.

Correct Answer:Il y a trois jardins.,There are three gardens.

There are three gardens.

Correct Answer:Il n'y a pas de jardin.,There is no garden.

There is no garden.

Q5.
Which sentence is not correct in French?

Il y a des salles.
Il y a une idée.
Correct answer: Il n’y a pas une chaise.
Il n’y a pas d’ordinateur.

Q6.
Translate this sentence into French: There isn’t a garden.

Correct Answer: il n'y a pas de jardin

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