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      Celebrations: information questions with question word + 'est-ce que'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can form information questions using question words and 'est-ce que'.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. When the nasal sound [en/an] appears before -p or -b it is spelled [em/am], e.g. 'jambe', 'camp'.
      2. Practising vocabulary 'little and often' helps to strengthen your knowledge.
      3. To ask information questions with 'est-ce que' the question word comes first.
      4. The subject and verb stay in the same order, there is no inversion.
      5. When the question word 'que' (what) is used before 'est-ce que', it becomes 'qu'est-ce que'.

      Keywords

      • [en/an] - sound-symbol correspondence (SSC) like the [en] and [an] sounds in 'enfant'

      • Est-ce que - French questioning device

      Common misconception

      When I am forming information questions with 'est-ce que' I put the question word after it.

      When forming information questions with 'est-ce que', the question word must come before it, e.g example: 'Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire demain ?' 'What are you going to do tomorrow?'.

      Teacher tip

      This lesson features some important Francophone cultural celebrations (the traditional Algerian New Year 'Yennayah', the Cannes film festival and International Francophonie Day), so there is scope for a more detailed look at these events. The 'journée de la Francophonie' is celebrated on 20th March.

      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.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:aider,to help, helping
      Correct Answer:partager,to share, sharing
      Correct Answer:pouvoir,can, be able to
      Correct Answer:savoir,to know, knowing
      Correct Answer:chercher,to look for, looking for

      Q2.
      Match the pronoun to the correct form of the verb 'célébrer'.

      Correct Answer:je, il, elle,célèbre
      Correct Answer:tu,célébres
      Correct Answer:nous,célébrons

      Q3.
      Put these numbers in descending order.

      1 - trente-et-un
      2 - vingt-huit
      3 - vingt-cinq
      4 - vingt
      5 - seize
      6 - douze
      7 - trois

      Q4.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:combien,how much, how many
      Correct Answer:quand,when
      Correct Answer:que, quoi,what
      Correct Answer:qui,who
      Correct Answer:,where
      Correct Answer:comment,how

      Q5.
      In French, the months of the year do not have a unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.

      Correct Answer: capital letter

      Q6.
      Match the month to the clue.

      Correct Answer:la tradition romantique,février
      Correct Answer:la fête des pères,juin
      Correct Answer:beaucoup de chocolat,avril
      Correct Answer:la nouvelle année,janvier
      Correct Answer:la fête des mères en Angleterre,mars
      Correct Answer:deux jours de vacances en Angleterre,mai

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the English and French.

      Correct Answer:perhaps,peut-être
      Correct Answer:sorry,désolé (m)
      Correct Answer:you know,tu sais
      Correct Answer:to know, knowing,savoir
      Correct Answer:I can,je peux
      Correct Answer:can, to be able to,pouvoir

      Q2.
      Match the English and French.

      Correct Answer:behind,derrière
      Correct Answer:in front of,devant
      Correct Answer:between,entre
      Correct Answer:in,dans
      Correct Answer:on,sur
      Correct Answer:under,sous

      Q3.
      The question word comes 'est-ce que' in information questions.

      Correct Answer: before

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'How are we going to go?'

      1 - comment
      2 - est-ce que
      3 - nous
      4 - allons
      5 - aller

      Q5.
      When the question word 'que' is used before 'est-ce que' it becomes ...

      Correct Answer: qu'est-ce que, qu'

      Q6.
      Match the questions and answers.

      Correct Answer:Oui, je suis très romantique !,Est-ce que tu vas célébrer la Saint-Valentin ?
      Correct Answer:Je vais manger au restaurant avec Jean.,Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire pour la Saint-Valentin ?
      Correct Answer:J'aime beaucoup le café.,Qu'est-ce que tu penses du café devant le cinéma ?
      Correct Answer:Non, désolé il ne peut pas.,Est-ce qu'il va aller à la plage aujourd'hui ?
      Correct Answer:Elle étudie l'allemand.,Qu'est-ce qu'elle étudie ?
      Correct Answer:Non, elle n'étudie pas le français.,Est-ce qu'elle étudie le français ?

      To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: Celebrations: information questions with question word + 'est-ce que', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...