A school exchange: 'on' meaning 'we'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can recognise when the pronoun 'on' means 'people in general' or 'we' in informal conversations.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The SSC [oy] sounds like a ‘yih’ sound after SSC [oi]. This is similar to the [i] vs [-ill-/ille] pattern.
- We use the pronoun 'on' when talking about people in general. We translate it as 'people', 'you' or 'one'.
- 'On' uses the 3rd person singular ('il', 'elle') verb endings.
- 'On' can mean 'we' in an informal conversation, such as talking to friends. The verb endings are the same ('il'/'elle').
- We have to use the context to work out if 'on' means 'people' or 'we'.
Keywords
[oi] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [oi] in 'voir', which means ‘to see’
[oy] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [oy] in 'envoyer', which means 'to send'
On - pronoun meaning 'people in general' or 'we' in informal conversations
Common misconception
The pronoun 'on' only means 'people in general'.
The pronoun 'on' does mean 'people in general' but it is often used to mean 'we' in informal conversations, like when you are talking to friends. You will have seen this meaning before in the phrase 'on y va !' which means 'let's go!'.
Teacher tip
The so-called French national dish, the 'pot-au-feu' is mentioned in this lesson, as well as the traditional game of bowls 'la pétanque'. These are interesting cultural details that you may wish to explore in more depth with your students.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the word in French for 'you' when talking to a group of friends?
Q2.Match the French and the English.
Q3.Which is the correct date for 'le huit aout' ?
Q4.Match the word for 'my' to the correct description.
Q5.Put the sentences in order to make ' Mum and Dad are coming to France.
Q6.How do you say 'we play' in French?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the French and the English
Q2.Which of these would we use for 'on' in English?
Q3.Which of these verbs have the correct endings to use with 'on'?
Q4.You are chatting to your friends about what you eat. How would you say 'we eat'?
Q5.Which of the following are more likely to be found in a magazine than in a text message?
Q6.How do you say 'lets' go' ?
To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: A school exchange: 'on' meaning 'we', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: A school exchange: 'on' meaning 'we', 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 School life: -IR verbs in the present, uses of 'vous' and 'on' unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.