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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesLe monde francophone25 min★★ difficulty

Sons, accents et dictionnaire

If you know how French letters sound, you can read aloud a word you have never seen. If you know how a dictionary works, you can find the one word context will not give you.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Grammar and vocabulary: Use and understand the sound system of the language, applying phonic knowledge to new words

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Use and understand the sound system of the language, applying phonic knowledge to new words

Key learning points

  • • Key sound patterns
  • • The accents and what they do
  • • Using a dictionary properly

This lesson at a glance

  • 25 minutes
  • 15 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

systemlanguageapplyingphonicknowledge

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Sons, accents et dictionnaire

An English teaching video on this topic from Risedale School. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Use and understand the sound system of the language, applying phonic knowledge to new words

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Key sound patterns

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

Key sound patterns

-ai- sounds like the e in 'bed' (maison). -au- and -eau- sound like 'oh' (chaud, bateau). -ou- is 'oo' (rouge). -oi- is 'wa' (moi, trois). -in / -on / -an are nasal — the air goes through the nose and the n is not fully pronounced (vin, bon, grand).

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

The accents and what they do

é (accent aigu) sounds like 'ay' — café. è (accent grave) is more open — mère. ê (circonflexe) often marks a lost s, which is why forêt is forest and hôpital is hospital. ç makes a c sound soft — français.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

How does '-oi-' sound in 'trois'?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

The circumflex in 'forêt' often marks...

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 15

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 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.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 15

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Using a dictionary properly

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Using a dictionary properly

Look up the infinitive, not the form you found: mangé → manger. Check the abbreviation: nm (masculine noun), nf (feminine noun), v (verb), adj (adjective). Read every sense listed and choose the one that fits your sentence — 'temps' is both weather and time.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

To look up 'mangé' you search for...

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

'nf' in a dictionary entry tells you the word is...

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Worked example

You meet 'ils ont bâti'. Steps: bâti looks like a participle, so the infinitive is bâtir. The circumflex hints at a lost s — think 'bastion', 'bastide' — to build. Dictionary confirms bâtir, v, to build. Meaning: they built.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 15

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

14

Mastery quiz

Part 14 of 15

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Sons, accents et dictionnaire

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. How does '-oi-' sound in 'trois'?

  2. 2. The circumflex in 'forêt' often marks...

  3. 3. To look up 'mangé' you search for...

  4. 4. 'nf' in a dictionary entry tells you the word is...

15

Lesson round-up

Part 15 of 15

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

Une journée à Lyon

Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.

J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.

L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.

Original text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
  2. Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
  3. Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.

  • Written practice

    Writing

    Write the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.

    8–10 sentences

  • Vocabulary page

    Working out

    Copy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.

    15 words

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 15 · Watch & discover

How this is going

  • Not looked at yet

    Use and understand the sound system of the language, applying phonic knowledge to new words

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