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      Jobs: plural 'avoir' or 'être', article use with professions

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use plural forms of 'être' and 'avoir' and articles to talk about jobs.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Omit indefinite articles with être + profession but include articles when describing jobs in general or with adjectives.
      2. être means 'to be, being', nous sommes means 'we are', vous êtes means 'you are' and ils/elles sont means 'they are'.
      3. avoir means 'to have, having', nous avons means 'we have', vous avez means 'you have' and ils/elles ont is 'they have'.
      4. Pronounce the 's' at the end of 'ils' when it is followed by a vowel; it sounds like a 'z'.

      Keywords

      • Avoir - verb 'to have, having'

      • Être - verb 'to be, being'

      • Liaison - pronouncing a usually silent final consonant because a vowel follows

      Common misconception

      'Ils ont' and 'ils sont' sound the same.

      Although these two verbs sound similar, there is a distinction between the 'z' sound created by s-liaison in 'ils ont' and the 's' sound at the beginning of 'sont' after the silent 's' on 'ils'.

      Teacher tip

      Pupils will benefit from brief, but frequent revisiting of être and avoir. One way to do this is to reprieve the song. Playing a previously learnt song at the beginning of the lesson is a great way to help pupils settle quickly and tune in to the sounds of the new language.

      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.
      What does 'avoir' mean in English

      to be
      Correct answer: to have
      to listen
      to speak
      to write

      Q2.
      Match the English to the French.

      Correct Answer:je dors,I sleep, am sleeping

      I sleep, am sleeping

      Correct Answer:je suis,I am

      I am

      Correct Answer:il / elle est,he/she is

      he/she is

      Correct Answer:il / elle dort,he/she sleeps, is sleeping

      he/she sleeps, is sleeping

      Correct Answer:j'ai,I have

      I have

      Correct Answer:il / elle est,he/she has

      he/she has

      Q3.
      Match the English to the French.

      Correct Answer:assez,quite

      quite

      Correct Answer:billet,ticket

      ticket

      Correct Answer:parfois,sometimes

      sometimes

      Correct Answer:sous,under

      under

      Correct Answer:sur,on

      on

      Correct Answer:visiter,to visit

      to visit

      Q4.
      What is the negative form of 'il y a'?

      Correct Answer: il n'y a pas

      Q5.
      Make the statement into a question using 'est-ce que': tu es prudent.

      Correct Answer: Est-ce que tu es prudent ?

      Q6.
      Yes/no questions in French can be formed using intonation, est-ce que or ...

      Correct Answer: inversion

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the jobs in English and French.

      Correct Answer:directeur,male headteacher

      male headteacher

      Correct Answer:directrice,female headteacher

      female headteacher

      Correct Answer:avocat(e),lawyer

      lawyer

      Correct Answer:serveur,waiter

      waiter

      Correct Answer:facteur,postman

      postman

      Correct Answer:médecin,doctor

      doctor

      Q2.
      Which of the following phrases have a liaison?

      Correct answer: ils ont
      elles sont
      Correct answer: nous avons
      tu as
      Correct answer: vous êtes

      Q3.
      How do you say 'they have' when referring to a group of boys and girls, in French?

      Correct Answer: ils ont

      Q4.
      Add the missing word to the sentence 'She wants to be a secretary in a big office'. 'Elle veut être dans un grand bureau'.

      Correct Answer: secrétaire

      Q5.
      He is a lawyer and they have a lawyer.

      1 - il
      2 - est
      3 - avocat
      4 - et
      5 - ils
      6 - ont
      7 - un avocat

      Q6.
      What is the French word for 'quite'?

      Correct Answer: assez

      To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: Jobs: plural 'avoir' or 'être', article use with professions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...