Describe people: 'être' 3rd person plural and regular plural adjectives
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use 'ils sont' and 'elles sont' with regular plural adjectives to describe what they (masculine and feminine) are like.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- 'Nous sommes' and 'vous êtes' are the 1st and 2nd persons plural of the verb 'être' ('to be, being').
- 'Ils sont' and 'elles sont' are the third person plural of the verb 'être' ('to be, being').
- Adjectives often add -e in the feminine form, this is regular adjective gender agreement.
- Adjectives often add -s as the regular marker in the plural form.
- Describing a photograph is a useful exercise to consolidate key grammar and vocabulary.
Keywords
Être - irregular French verb meaning 'to be, being'
Ils sont - part of the verb 'être' meaning 'they are' (m, m/f)
Elles sont - part of the verb 'être' meaning 'they are' (f)
Adjective agreement - when the ending of an adjective matches the noun it describes in gender and number
Common misconception
There is just one way of referring to 'they' in French, as in English.
There is both a masculine and feminine form of the pronoun 'they'. Use 'ils' when referring to a group of boys or a group of boys and girls, and use 'elles' when referring to a group of girls.
Teacher tip
You may wish to print off or project additional photographs or images for the photo description task which may be more relevant to or appropriate for your class context.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which pronoun has the [e] sound?
Q2.Choose the correct verb.
Q3.Choose the correct verb.
Q4.Fill in the gap with 'je' or 'nous': sommes grands.
Q5.Fill in the gap with 'tu' or 'vous': es malade.
Q6.Match the nouns and the adjectives.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the pronoun and the verb.
Q2.Which images show 'ils sont'?
Q3.Add the correct adjective ending: Il y a une fille amusant_.
Q4.Add the correct adjective ending: Il y a trois filles amusant__.
Q5.Which sentences describe the photo?
Q6.Translate: They (m) are young and short.
To help you plan your 7 French lesson on: Describe people: 'être' 3rd person plural and regular plural adjectives, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 French lesson on: Describe people: 'être' 3rd person plural and regular plural adjectives, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 French lessons from the Family life: numbers, plural nouns, plural 'avoir' & 'être' unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.