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      Christmas around the world: adjectives, comparatives

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use adjectives, including comparatives, to engage with a French song and discuss Christmas in different parts of the world.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Most French adjectives come after the noun they describe.
      2. Use BRAGS (beauty, rank, age, goodness, size) to remember pre-nominal adjectives.
      3. With more than one adjective, add 'et' after the noun. Nouns can also be surrounded by adjectives.
      4. To make comparisons in French, use the structures 'plus/aussi/moins' + 'que' with adjectives and adverbs.
      5. Some comparative forms are irregular, such as 'meilleur', 'mieux', and 'pire'.

      Keywords

      • Pre-nominal adjective - adjective that appears before the noun it modifies

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

      Common misconception

      All adjectives go after the noun in French.

      Most adjectives go after the noun they describe but there are a group of adjectives (BRAGS adjectives) that go before the noun. We call these pre-nominal adjectives.

      Teacher tip

      There are many versions of the song online with lyric videos which could also be used in the lesson and a discussion into Christmas in other countries might be valuable.

      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.
      Write the French word for 'Christmas'.

      Correct Answer: Noël

      Q2.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:chapeau (m),hat
      Correct Answer:cuisine (f),kitchen, cooking
      Correct Answer:main (f),hand
      Correct Answer:manteau (m),coat
      Correct Answer:repas (m),meal
      Correct Answer:pluie (f),rain

      Q3.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:prendre,to take, taking
      Correct Answer:donner,to give, giving
      Correct Answer:faire,to do, make
      Correct Answer:porter,to wear, wearing
      Correct Answer:reposer,to put down
      Correct Answer:manger,to eat, eating

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'he is a Christian and believes in God'.

      1 - il
      2 - est
      3 - chrétien
      4 - et
      5 - croit
      6 - en
      7 - Dieu

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'un matin froid'.

      Correct Answer: a cold morning

      Q6.
      Write in French: 'an English girl'.

      Correct Answer: une fille anglaise

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which adjectives go before the noun they describe?

      Correct answer: beau
      intéressant
      Correct answer: vieux
      rouge
      Correct answer: petit

      Q2.
      Order the words to say: 'she has a long, blue coat'.

      1 - elle
      2 - a
      3 - un
      4 - long
      5 - manteau
      6 - bleu

      Q3.
      Match the French and English.

      Correct Answer:plus grand que,bigger than
      Correct Answer:moins grand que,smaller than
      Correct Answer:aussi grand que,as big as
      Correct Answer:meilleur que,better than
      Correct Answer:pire que,worse than

      Q4.
      Write in French: 'I have a strong black dog'.

      Correct Answer: j'ai un chien fort et noir

      To help you plan your 9 French lesson on: Christmas around the world: adjectives, comparatives, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...