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      At school and university: direct object pronouns 'me' and 'te'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can read and write letters, using direct object pronouns, about school and university life in 'la Francophonie'.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. A direct object is a noun that receives the action of the verb. It answers either 'what?' or 'whom?'.
      2. The direct object noun for 'what' or 'whom' can be replaced by a direct object pronoun.
      3. 'Me' and 'te' are the direct object pronouns for 'me' and 'you'.
      4. Before a vowel, direct object pronouns have a elision. 'Me' and 'te' become m’ and t’.

      Keywords

      • Elision - when a vowel sound is dropped and two words combine with an apostrophe to make speech smoother, e.g. 'j'habite'

      • Direct object pronoun - replaces the noun receiving the action of the verb, e.g. 'me', 'you', 'it', 'them', e.g. 'il me regarde' - 'he is looking at me'

      • Me, m' - direct object pronoun meaning 'me'

      • Te, t' - direct object pronoun meaning 'you'

      Common misconception

      The direct object pronouns 'me' and 'you' are always 'me' and 'te' in French.

      The direct object pronouns 'me' and 'te' change before a vowel in French, they become 'm' and 't'. This is an elision.

      Teacher tip

      Students could research in greater detail the differences and similarities between school in France and school in England, then present their findings to the class.

      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

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which word means 'therefore'?

      avec
      Correct answer: donc
      si
      longtemps
      très

      Q2.
      Order the school years from first to last.

      1 - sixième
      2 - cinqième
      3 - quatrième
      4 - troisème

      Q3.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:aider,to help, helping

      to help, helping

      Correct Answer:écouter,to listen, listening

      to listen, listening

      Correct Answer:durer,to last, lasting

      to last, lasting

      Correct Answer:poser,to ask, asking (a question)

      to ask, asking (a question)

      Correct Answer:préparer,to prepare, preparing

      to prepare, preparing

      Correct Answer:trouver,to find, finding

      to find, finding

      Q4.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:compétence (f),competence

      competence

      Correct Answer:connaissance (f),acquintance

      acquintance

      Correct Answer:système (m),system

      system

      Correct Answer:raison (f),reason

      reason

      Correct Answer:examen (m),exam

      exam

      Correct Answer:déjeuner (m),lunch

      lunch

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'il va à l’école primaire'.

      Correct Answer: he goes to primary school, he goes to the primary school, he is going to primary school

      Q6.
      Write in French: 'my teacher (f) is intelligent'.

      Correct Answer: ma professeur est intelligente, ma prof est intelligente

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      'Mon ami __________ donne un cadeau'. Choose the correct missing word.

      mon
      ma
      mes
      Correct answer: me
      m'

      Q2.
      'Le professeur __________ cherche'. Choose the correct missing word.

      ton
      ta
      tes
      Correct answer: te
      t'

      Q3.
      Write in French: 'my brother helps me'.

      Correct Answer: mon frère m'aide

      Q4.
      Write in French: 'she encourages you'.

      Correct Answer: elle t'encourage

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