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      What I and others have: 'j'ai' and 'il, elle a'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use 'j'ai' and 'il, elle a' with nouns to say what I have or he, she has.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Revise the days of the week by listening to a song.
      2. Use intonation to ask and answer what day of the week it is with 'aujourd'hui' and c'est'.
      3. The verb 'avoir' means 'to have'. 'J'ai' means I have, 'il a' means he has and 'elle a' means 'she has'.
      4. These verbs are used with nouns and their indefinite articles to say what I and someone else has.

      Keywords

      • Avoir - French verb meaning to have

      • J'ai - French verb meaning I have

      • Il a - French verb meaning he has

      • Elle a - French verb meaning she has

      Common misconception

      I can use 'avoir' as it is with any pronoun to mean 'have' or 'has' in French.

      You have to use the different forms of 'avoir' depending on who you are talking about. For I have it is 'j'ai', for he has it is 'il a' for she has it is 'elle a'.

      Teacher tip

      Singing songs is an excellent way to revise vocabulary in a foreign language and it's fun!

      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 of these words are verbs?

      bouteille
      chien
      Correct answer: être
      Correct answer: écrire
      cheval

      Q2.
      Which of these words are nouns?

      écouter
      Correct answer: ballon
      répèter
      Correct answer: peluche
      parler

      Q3.
      True or false? French days of the week do not start with a capital letter unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.

      Correct answer: true
      false

      Q4.
      Match the French singular pronouns to the French.

      Correct Answer:je/j',I
      Correct Answer:tu,you
      Correct Answer:il ,he
      Correct Answer:elle,she

      Q5.
      Match the English to the French.

      Correct Answer:un stylo,a pen
      Correct Answer:un sac,a bag
      Correct Answer:un chien,a dog
      Correct Answer:une peluche,a cuddly toy
      Correct Answer:un jeu,a game
      Correct Answer:un cahier,an exercise book

      Q6.
      What is intonation?

      When you use a question word like 'quoi'.
      Correct answer: When you raise or lower your voice in speaking.
      When you pronounce the silent final consonant.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is the correct order of the days of the week in French?

      mardi, lundi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche.
      lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, dimanche, samedi.
      lundi, mercredi, samedi, jeudi, mardi, dimanche, vendredi.
      Correct answer: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche.
      lundi, mardi, mercredi, vendredi, jeudi, samedi, dimanche.

      Q2.
      C'est mardi ?

      An image in a quiz
      Oui, aujourd'hui c'est mardi.
      Non, aujourd'hui c'est vendredi.
      Non, aujourd'hui c'est lundi.
      Correct answer: Non, aujourd'hui c'est mercredi.
      Non, aujourd'hui c'est jeudi.

      Q3.
      What does 'avoir' mean in English?

      to be
      Correct answer: to have
      to listen
      to write

      Q4.
      Match the English to the French.

      Correct Answer:j'ai,I have
      Correct Answer:il a,he has
      Correct Answer:elle a,she has

      Q5.
      Match the English to the French.

      Correct Answer:J'ai un stylo.,I have a pen.
      Correct Answer:Il a une peluche.,He has a cuddly toy.
      Correct Answer:Elle a un cahier.,She has an exercise book.
      Correct Answer:J'ai une orange.,I have an orange.
      Correct Answer:Il a une bouteille.,He has a bottle.
      Correct Answer:Elle a un jeu.,She has a game.

      Q6.
      'Il a un stylo', 'elle a un sac'. What is the verb in these two sentences?

      il/elle
      Correct answer: a
      un
      stylo/sac

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