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
- 19 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 19
Watch first
Sons, accents et dictionnaire
French letters and accents, and the sounds they promise.
In a nutshell
Use and understand the sound system of the language, applying phonic knowledge to new words
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 19
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Key sound patterns
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 19
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).
Reset break
Part 4 of 19
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 19
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.
Quick check
Part 6 of 19
Quick check
Part 7 of 19
Reset break
Part 8 of 19
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 19
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.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 19
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.
Quick check
Part 11 of 19
Reset break
Part 12 of 19
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 19
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 19
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.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 19
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 19
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 19
Game · Recall cards
The circumflex in 'forêt' often marks...
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 18 of 19
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Sons, accents et dictionnaire
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. The circumflex in 'forêt' often marks...
2. Which final consonants are usually pronounced in French?
3. How does 'ch' usually sound in French?
4. What sound does 'gn' make, as in 'montagne'?
Lesson round-up
Part 19 of 19
Lesson round-up
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Use and understand the sound system of the language, applying phonic knowledge to new words