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      Eco-friendly options: -ir verbs, comparatives

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use comparative structures with adjectives and adverbs, and a variety of -ir verbs, in the context of nature and eco-friendly holiday options.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Regular practise of sound-symbol correspondences is important to ensure good pronunciation.
      2. To make comparisons in French use 'plus ... que' (more than), 'moins ... que' (less than) and 'aussi ... que' (as, as).
      3. French comparative structures sandwich adjectives to compare two nouns, and adverbs to compare how people do things.
      4. More than one adjective before a noun needs no comma or 'et'; multiple adjectives after the noun need 'et' in French.
      5. In French, -ir verbs can be divided into groups according to their conjugation patterns.

      Keywords

      • Comparative - a form of adjective or adverb used to compare people, things or ideas

      • Adjective - word that gives information about a noun

      • Adverb - word that describes a verb or an adjective

      • Conjugation - when a verb is changed to match a subject and tense

      Common misconception

      When using more than one adjective in French we need 'et' between them.

      We only need 'et' between French adjectives if they come after the noun. For the B-R-A-G-S adjectives that come before the noun, no connective is needed.

      Teacher tip

      Students love fun comparison activities. You could run 'comparison battles' where the class is divided into small groups and each given a set of challenge cards, e.g. 'un éléphant' and 'une souris'. Each team takes turns creating comparative sentences, bonus points being awarded for complexity!

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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.
      'C'est une matière '. Choose the correct adjective.

      intéressant
      Correct answer: intéressante
      intéressants
      intéressantes

      Q2.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:content,happy
      Correct Answer:désolé,sorry
      Correct Answer:drôle,funny
      Correct Answer:haut,tall
      Correct Answer:rapide,fast
      Correct Answer:triste,sad

      Q3.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:coeur (m),heart
      Correct Answer:ciel (m),sky
      Correct Answer:couleur (m),colour
      Correct Answer:rêve (m),dream
      Correct Answer:science (f),science
      Correct Answer:vague (f),wave

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'between the office and the bedroom'.

      1 - entre
      2 - le
      3 - bureau
      4 - et
      5 - la
      6 - chambre

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'le voyage était difficile'.

      Correct Answer: The journey was difficult

      Q6.
      Write in French: 'the child is in the building'.

      Correct Answer: L'enfant est dans le bâtiment

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the sound to the correct French word.

      Correct Answer:[s],Sir, Mr
      Correct Answer:[ç],boy
      Correct Answer:[th],tea
      Correct Answer:[qu],when

      Q2.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:plus haut que,taller than
      Correct Answer:moins haut que,less tall than
      Correct Answer:aussi haut que,as tall as
      Correct Answer:meilleur,better
      Correct Answer:pire,worse

      Q3.
      'The fast, sad dog'. Choose the correct translation.

      Le rapide et triste chien.
      Le rapide triste chien.
      Correct answer: Le chien rapide et triste.
      Le chien rapide triste.

      Q4.
      'The big, old office'. Choose the correct translation.

      Le grand et vieux bureau.
      Correct answer: Le grand vieux bureau.
      Le bureau grand et vieux.
      Le bureau grand vieux.

      Q5.
      Write in French: 'she chooses and you go out'.

      Correct Answer: Elle choisit et tu sors

      To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: Eco-friendly options: -ir verbs, comparatives, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...