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      Canada: negation with 'ne … jamais'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can talk about what I always and never do in the context of a holiday.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. [r] is pronounced as in 'rue'.
      2. Add the prefix -re before a verb to mean 'do the action again'. Pronunciation is different to English 're'.
      3. 'Ne ... jamais' means 'never', it negates in the same way as 'ne ... pas', surrounding the verb.
      4. Indefinite articles (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la, de l’, des) change to 'de' after a negative.

      Keywords

      • [r] - pronounced as in 'rue'

      • Negation - two elements e.g. ne … pas around the main verb expressing negative meaning

      Common misconception

      Just add 'ne ... jamais' around the verb to say 'never'; the rest of the sentence stays the same.

      Add 'ne ... jamais' around the conjugated verb, but in addition, change any indefinite/partitive articles to de/d' after a negative.

      Teacher tip

      If time permits, activity C4 could lead into a more independent speaking or writing task where students describe what they never/always do on holiday and expand their personal repertoires.

      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 two languages are widely spoken in Quebec?

      Mandarin & French
      Correct answer: French & English
      English & Spanish
      German & Urdu
      Urdu & English

      Q2.
      Match the French word to its English meaning.

      Correct Answer:cuisine,kitchen, cooking

      kitchen, cooking

      Correct Answer:tâche,task

      task

      Correct Answer:tout,all, every

      all, every

      Correct Answer:lentement,slowly

      slowly

      Q3.
      Which of the following countries is Francophone (a French-speaking country)?

      Brazil
      Correct answer: Senegal
      Japan
      Norway

      Q4.
      How is the letter [e] pronounced in the French word je?

      Like the 'e' in 'bed'
      Like the 'a' in 'cat'
      Correct answer: Like the 'u' in 'burn'
      Like the 'i' in 'bit'

      Q5.
      Match the French subject pronouns with the correct conjugated form of mettre (to put).

      Correct Answer:je, tu,mets

      mets

      Correct Answer:il, elle, on,met

      met

      Correct Answer:nous,mettons

      mettons

      Correct Answer:ils/elles,mettent

      mettent

      Correct Answer:vous,mettez

      mettez

      Q6.
      What does it mean when a verb is conjugated?

      It is translated into another language
      It is written in a dictionary
      Correct answer: It is changed to match the subject and tense
      It is made into a question

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      How is the French letter [r] pronounced in a word like rue?

      Like the ‘r’ in “red”
      Like the ‘h’ in “hello”
      Correct answer: A throaty sound made at the back of the mouth
      Like the rolled ‘r’ in Spanish

      Q2.
      Match the French word to its English meaning:

      Correct Answer:perdre,to lose, losing

      to lose, losing

      Correct Answer:campagne (f),countryside

      countryside

      Correct Answer:sac (m),bag

      bag

      Correct Answer:jamais,never

      never

      Q3.
      What prefix is added to a French verb to show the action is being done again?

      Correct Answer: re, re-

      Q4.
      Put the parts of the sentence in the correct order to say: “He never writes.”

      1 - il
      2 - n'
      3 - écrit
      4 - jamais

      Q5.
      What happens to indefinite and partitive articles after a negative expression like ne ... jamais?

      They stay the same
      They are replaced by “le” or “la”
      Correct answer: They change to “de” or “d’”
      Only the verb changes

      Q6.
      Fill in the gap in this sentence. Je ne mange jamais produit sucré.

      Correct Answer: de

      To help you plan your 9 French lesson on: Canada: negation with 'ne … jamais', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...