A school exchange: 'on' meaning 'we'
Learning outcomes
I can recognise when the pronoun 'on' means 'people in general' or 'we' in informal conversations.
I can recognise and pronounce [oi] and [oy] correctly.
A school exchange: 'on' meaning 'we'
Learning outcomes
I can recognise when the pronoun 'on' means 'people in general' or 'we' in informal conversations.
I can recognise and pronounce [oi] and [oy] correctly.
Link copied to clipboard
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
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 also 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!'
To help you plan your year 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 year 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.
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Some of our videos, including non-English language videos, do not have captions.
Starter quiz
6 Questions
to become, becoming
to sleep, sleeping
to leave, leaving
to organise, organising
to play, playing
my (masculine)
my (feminine)
my (plural)
Exit quiz
6 Questions
alone
without
hi
please (informal)
please (formal)