Transcribing what you hear
Writing down exactly what someone says trains your ear to spot sounds that look nothing like their spelling.
Part of your national curriculum
- Listening: Transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy
Key learning points
- • Silent letters
- • Liaison
- • Build accuracy with repetition
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 16 parts to scroll through
- 3 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 16
Visual introductionPicture this
Transcribing what you hear
Writing down exactly what someone says trains your ear to spot sounds that look nothing like their spelling.
In a nutshell
Transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 16
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Silent letters
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 16
Learn
Silent letters
French often drops final consonants: 'petit' sounds like 'puh-tee', not 'petit' as spelled. When transcribing, listen for the sound, then check it matches a word you know, rather than guessing spelling from sound alone.
Reset break
Part 4 of 16
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 4 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 16
Learn
Liaison
Words often join together: 'les amis' is pronounced 'lay-zamee', with an added 'z' sound linking the words. This can trick you into hearing one word where there are two — 'les' and 'amis'.
Quick check
Part 6 of 16
Quick check
Part 7 of 16
Reset break
Part 8 of 16
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 4 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 16
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Build accuracy with repetition
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 16
Learn
Build accuracy with repetition
Listen to a short sentence several times: first for gist, then for structure, then to fill in exact words. 'Elle a deux frères et une sœur' (She has two brothers and one sister) becomes easier to write correctly each time.
Quick check
Part 11 of 16
Reset break
Part 12 of 16
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 4 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 13 of 16
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 14 of 16
Game · Recall cards
You hear /me.zɔ̃/ in a sentence about a house. Which spelling is correct?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 15 of 16
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Transcribing what you hear
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. You hear /me.zɔ̃/ in a sentence about a house. Which spelling is correct?
2. Why is 'petit' tricky to transcribe from sound alone?
3. What is 'liaison' in French pronunciation?
4. 'Elle a deux frères et une sœur' means she has...
Lesson round-up
Part 16 of 16
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 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 16 · Watch & discover
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Transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy