Le français dans le monde
French is spoken on five continents. Reading texts from Senegal, Quebec or Martinique means meeting unfamiliar words — and working them out rather than looking every one up.
Part of your national curriculum
- Reading: Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates
Key learning points
- • Where French is spoken
- • Cognates and near-cognates
- • Working out the rest from context
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 20 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 20
Visual introductionPicture this
Le français dans le monde
French is spoken on five continents. Reading texts from Senegal, Quebec or Martinique means meeting unfamiliar words — and working them out rather than looking every one up.
In a nutshell
Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 20
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Where French is spoken
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 20
Learn
Where French is spoken
France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (especially Quebec), Senegal, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Haiti, Martinique. Roughly 300 million people use French, and more of them live in Africa than in Europe.
Reset break
Part 4 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 20
Learn
Cognates and near-cognates
Words that look like English usually are: la nation, la musique, l'université, important, la population. Watch spelling patterns: -tion stays -tion, -ly becomes -ment (rapidement = rapidly), -ty becomes -té (la liberté = liberty).
Quick check
Part 6 of 20
Quick check
Part 7 of 20
Reset break
Part 8 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 20
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Working out the rest from context
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 20
Learn
Working out the rest from context
In 'Le fleuve Sénégal traverse le pays et beaucoup d'agriculteurs cultivent du riz sur ses rives', you may not know rives. But a river crosses a country and farmers grow rice on its ___ — banks. Context plus logic beats guessing.
Quick check
Part 11 of 20
Reset break
Part 12 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 20
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 20
Worked example
Worked reading
Text: 'À Québec, la population est majoritairement francophone. La ville est célèbre pour son architecture historique et son festival d'hiver.' Cognates carry almost all of it: population, architecture, historique, festival. Majoritairement = mainly (major + -ment). Hiver = winter, from context with 'festival'.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 20
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 16 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 20
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
____ plus logic beats guessing.
Challenge round
Part 18 of 20
Game · Recall cards
You meet 'rapidement' for the first time. It most likely means...
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 19 of 20
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Le français dans le monde
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. You meet 'rapidement' for the first time. It most likely means...
2. What is a cognate?
3. What does the French word 'librairie' actually mean?
4. What is the best strategy for guessing an unknown French word in a text?
Lesson round-up
Part 20 of 20
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
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Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 20 · Watch & discover
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Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates