New
New
Year 9

Countries and states: 'à' and 'en'

Learning outcomes

I can describe where people go and where they are in the context of holidays, using the correct prepositions.

I can distinguish between and correctly pronounce [ai] and [é/er/ez].

New
New
Year 9

Countries and states: 'à' and 'en'

Learning outcomes

I can describe where people go and where they are in the context of holidays, using the correct prepositions.

I can distinguish between and correctly pronounce [ai] and [é/er/ez].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. [ai] is pronounced as in 'vrai'; [é/er/ez] is pronounced as in 'écrire'.
  2. Without an article, words like 'québecois' are adjectives, with a capital letter, they are nouns meaning a person.
  3. Use the preposition 'à' to talk about going to/being in a town/city and 'en' with feminine countries.
  4. Use 'au' ('à' + le) to talk about going to/being in masculine countries (usually country names not ending in -e).

Keywords

  • [ai] - pronounced as in 'vrai'

  • [é/er/ez] - pronounced as in 'écrire'

  • Preposition - a word that is used before a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun, connecting it to another word

Common misconception

The sound-symbol correspondences [ai] and [é/er/ez] sound the same in French.

The letters 'ai/ay' are the same as the SSC [é/er/ez] in French but [ai] is pronounced as in 'vrai' with slightly more relaxed lips than 'ai/ay' in English.


To help you plan your year 9 french lesson on: Countries and states: 'à' and 'en', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could add even more of a cultural dimension by looking at more maps of French speaking Canada, photos of Quebec or looking at French-Canadian celebrities like Celine Dion or the singer Cœur de Pirate.
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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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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the French to the English.
Correct Answer:connaître,to know, be familiar with, knowing, being familiar with

to know, be familiar with, knowing, being familiar with

Correct Answer:aller,to go, going

to go, going

Correct Answer:faire,to do, doing

to do, doing

Correct Answer:donner,to give, giving

to give, giving

Correct Answer:parler,to speak, speaking

to speak, speaking

Correct Answer:écrire,to write, writing

to write, writing

Q2.
Which word means 'path' or 'way'?
chanson
Correct answer: chemin
endroit
maladie
conversation
Q3.
Order the words to say 'my mother has a sore leg'.
1 - ma
2 - mère
3 - a
4 - mal
5 - à
6 - la
7 - jambe
Q4.
'Elles vont __________Allemagne.' Which word completes this sentence?
à
au
à l'
Correct answer: en
aux
Q5.
'Tu vas bientôt au Canada.' Translate this sentence.
Correct Answer: You are going to Canada soon, You go to Canada soon
Q6.
'We go to Italy tomorrow.' Translate this sentence into French.
Correct Answer: Nous allons en Italie demain, On va en Italie demain

6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'grincheuse' mean?
happy
silly
Correct answer: grumpy
naughty
dangerous
Q2.
'Nous __________ bien la capitale, Paris.' Which word best completes this sentence?
connais
connaît
Correct answer: connaissons
connaissez
connaissent
Q3.
Match the French to the English.
Correct Answer:bras,arm

arm

Correct Answer:jambe,leg

leg

Correct Answer:tête,head

head

Correct Answer:ventre,stomach

stomach

Correct Answer:dos,back

back

Correct Answer:visage,face

face

Q4.
Order the words to say 'she is staying in France until Thursday'.
1 - elle
2 - reste
3 - en
4 - France
5 - jusqu'
6 - à
7 - jeudi
Q5.
'Son anniversaire est en mai.' Translate this sentence into English.
Correct Answer: His birthday is in May, His birthday's in May
Q6.
'She is going to Australia next.'
Correct Answer: Elle va ensuite en Australie

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