Ma famille et mes animaux
In French every noun is masculine or feminine, and the words around it have to agree. Family vocabulary is the easiest place to make that habit stick.
Part of your national curriculum
- Grammar and vocabulary: Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language
Key learning points
- • Family words come in pairs
- • Adjectives agree too
- • Describing personality
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
Visual introductionPicture this
Ma famille et mes animaux
In French every noun is masculine or feminine, and the words around it have to agree. Family vocabulary is the easiest place to make that habit stick.
In a nutshell
Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 19
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Family words come in pairs
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 19
Learn
Family words come in pairs
mon père / ma mère (my father / my mother), mon frère / ma sœur (my brother / my sister), mon grand-père / ma grand-mère. Mon goes with masculine words, ma with feminine ones, and mes with any plural: mes parents, mes deux sœurs.
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
Adjectives agree too
Mon frère est grand. Ma sœur est grande. The feminine usually adds -e, and the plural adds -s: mes frères sont grands. Some adjectives already end in -e and do not change: mon frère est calme, ma sœur est calme.
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 · Describing personality
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 19
Learn
Describing personality
amusant(e) funny, bavard(e) chatty, gentil / gentille kind, sportif / sportive sporty, timide shy. The two-form adjectives (gentil/gentille, sportif/sportive) are worth learning as pairs rather than as rules.
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
Model paragraph
Dans ma famille il y a quatre personnes. Ma mère est très gentille et un peu bavarde. Mon frère est sportif mais il est timide. J'ai aussi un chat noir qui s'appelle Luna. Every adjective here matches the person it describes — check each one and you will see the -e appear only for the feminine.
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
Complete: 'Ma sœur est ___.' (sporty)
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 18 of 19
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Ma famille et mes animaux
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Complete: 'Ma sœur est ___.' (sporty)
2. What does French add to most adjectives to make them feminine?
3. Where do most French adjectives sit in a sentence?
4. Which is correctly agreed for 'une maison' (feminine)?
Lesson round-up
Part 19 of 19
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
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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 19 · Watch & discover
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Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language