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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesReading and deducing meaning in French20 min★★ difficulty

Spotting cognates and false friends

You already know more French than you think, because many words look similar to English — but a few tricks can catch you out.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Reading: Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates

Key learning points

  • • What are cognates?
  • • Beware false friends
  • • Using context to guess meaning

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

deducemeaningvarietycontextknowledge

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 14 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 14

Watch first

Spotting cognates and false friends

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

In a nutshell

Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 14

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · What are cognates?

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

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 14

Learn

What are cognates?

Cognates are words that look and mean the same, or nearly the same, in two languages, often because both borrowed from Latin. 'Le restaurant', 'l'hôpital', 'la musique' and 'important' are all near-identical to their English equivalents, which makes reading French easier than it first seems.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 14

Learn

Beware false friends

False friends look similar but mean something different: 'la librairie' means 'the bookshop', not 'the library' (which is 'la bibliothèque'); 'assister à' means 'to attend', not 'to assist'; and 'sensible' in French means 'sensitive', not 'sensible'. Context is the best way to catch these traps.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 14

Quick check

What is a cognate?

6

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
7

Quick check

Part 7 of 14

Quick check

What does the French word 'librairie' actually mean?

8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 14

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Using context to guess meaning

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

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 14

Learn

Using context to guess meaning

When you meet an unfamiliar word, look at the words around it, any pictures, and the type of text. In a menu, 'poulet' next to a price and near 'viande' (meat) is very likely to mean 'chicken', even before you check a dictionary.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 14

Quick check

What is the best strategy for guessing an unknown French word in a text?

11

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

12

Challenge round

Part 12 of 14

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

____ is the best way to catch these traps.

13

Mastery quiz

Part 13 of 14

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Spotting cognates and false friends

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

  1. 1. You meet 'rapidement' for the first time. It most likely means...

  2. 2. What is a cognate?

  3. 3. What does the French word 'librairie' actually mean?

  4. 4. What is the best strategy for guessing an unknown French word in a text?

14

Lesson round-up

Part 14 of 14

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 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

  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 14 · Watch & discover

How this is going

  • Not looked at yet

    Deduce meaning from a variety of texts, using context and knowledge of word patterns and cognates

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