LanguagesFrench grammar in action20 min★★ difficulty

Gender and agreement

In French, every noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives must change to match — a rule with no real equivalent in English.

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

• Masculine and feminine nouns
• Adjective agreement
• Word order

This lesson at a glance

20 minutes
14 parts to scroll through
3 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

accurategrammarspellingpunctuationgender

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 14 · Discover7%

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 14

Watch first

Gender and agreement

An English teaching video on this topic from Pearson UK & International Schools. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

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 14

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Masculine and feminine nouns

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

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 14

Learn

Masculine and feminine nouns

Every French noun has a gender: 'le chat' (the cat, masculine), 'la table' (the table, feminine). Gender is not usually about meaning — it must be learned alongside the word, though endings can give clues (words ending in -e are often feminine, though there are many exceptions).

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 14

Learn

Adjective agreement

Adjectives change their spelling to agree with the noun's gender and number: 'un grand chien' (a big dog, masculine) but 'une grande maison' (a big house, feminine) — note the extra -e. For plurals, an -s is usually added: 'des grands chiens' (big dogs).

Quick check

Part 5 of 14

Quick check

What does French add to most adjectives to make them feminine?

Reset break

Part 6 of 14

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

Quick check

Part 7 of 14

Quick check

Where do most French adjectives sit in a sentence?

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 14

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Word order

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

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 14

Learn

Word order

Most French adjectives come after the noun, unlike English: 'une voiture rouge' (a red car), not 'rouge voiture'. However, a small set of common adjectives — including beauty, age, goodness and size (BAGS), such as 'grand', 'petit', 'joli' and 'beau' — come before the noun.

Quick check

Part 10 of 14

Quick check

Which is correctly agreed for 'une maison' (feminine)?

Challenge round

Part 11 of 14

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

Challenge round

Part 12 of 14

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

Every French noun has a ____: 'le chat' (the cat, masculine), 'la table' (the table, feminine).

Adjectives change their ____ to agree with the noun's gender and number: 'un grand chien' (a big dog, masculine) but 'une grande maison' (a big house, feminine) — note the extra -e.

Mastery quiz

Part 13 of 14

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Gender and agreement

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

1. What does French add to most adjectives to make them feminine?
2. Where do most French adjectives sit in a sentence?
3. Which is correctly agreed for 'une maison' (feminine)?

Lesson round-up

Part 14 of 14

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 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

In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
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

Write your answer, notes or working here

Saved as you type.

Photos of paper work, diagrams or working outHow many minutes did the written work take?

Part 1 of 14 · Watch & discover

0 points

How this is going

Not looked at yet
Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language