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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesWriting in French25 min★★ difficulty

Translating into French

Translating into French means choosing the right word order and endings, not just swapping English words one by one.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Writing: Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

Key learning points

  • • Do not translate word for word
  • • Check adjective agreement
  • • Word order for negatives

This lesson at a glance

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

Words to know

translatewrittenaccuratelyforeignlanguage

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 13 · Discover8%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 13

Watch first

Translating into French

An English teaching video on this topic from French made Easy. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 13

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Do not translate word for word

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

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 13

Learn

Do not translate word for word

'I am 13 years old' becomes 'J'ai treize ans' — literally 'I have thirteen years'. French uses 'avoir' (to have) for age, not 'être' (to be), so a direct word-for-word translation would be wrong.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 13

Learn

Check adjective agreement

Translating 'a big house' needs 'une grande maison' — 'grande' agrees with the feminine noun 'maison', adding an -e. Always check gender and number before finalising a translation.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 13

Quick check

How do you say 'I am 13 years old' in French?

6

Reset break

Part 6 of 13

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 13

Quick check

'A big house' translates as...

8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 13

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Word order for negatives

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

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 13

Learn

Word order for negatives

'I don't like maths' becomes 'Je n'aime pas les maths', with 'ne...pas' wrapped around the verb — a structure with no direct English equivalent that must be learned and applied correctly.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 13

Quick check

Where does 'pas' go in a negative sentence with 'aime'?

11

Challenge round

Part 11 of 13

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

Mastery quiz

Part 12 of 13

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Translating into French

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

  1. 1. Translate into French: 'I never drink fizzy drinks.'

  2. 2. How do you say 'I am 13 years old' in French?

  3. 3. 'A big house' translates as...

  4. 4. Where does 'pas' go in a negative sentence with 'aime'?

13

Lesson round-up

Part 13 of 13

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 13 · Watch & discover

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    Translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

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