Les Alphabets Française – JSS1 French Lesson Note (First Term)

The French alphabet is the set of 26 letters used to write French, the same letters as in English but with different names.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. say the French names of the 26 letters of the alphabet;
2. recognise and name the five common French accents;
3. read and say the French words for common school items and foods;
4. give the English meaning of the French action words and describing words in the list;
5. name people in French (girl, boy, woman, man, baby).

What are the letters of the French alphabet?

The French alphabet has 26 letters, and each letter has a French name that differs from the English one.

Which letters are vowels and consonants in French?

French has six vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u, y), and the other 20 letters are consonants.

• Vowels: a, e, i, o, u and y.
• Consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, z.
• Silent H: the letter h is not pronounced, as in homme (man) and haricot (bean).

What are French accents?

A French accent is a mark placed on a letter that changes how the letter sounds or is written.

• Cédille: the mark under c makes it sound like s, as in “sun”.
• Spelling: an accent is part of the spelling, so always write it.

How do we spell a French word aloud?

To spell a word aloud, say the French name of each letter in order.

1. Write the word, for example sac.
2. Say the French name of the first letter: S (ess).
3. Say the next letter: A (ah).
4. Say the last letter: C (say).
5. Say the whole word again: sac.

What is the basic French vocabulary for JSS1?

Vocabulary is the set of words we know in a language, and this list covers school items, food, actions, descriptions and people.

• Le (masculine): the word for “the” before most masculine nouns, as in le stylo.
• La (feminine): the word for “the” before most feminine nouns, as in la porte.
• L’: used before a vowel or silent h, as in l’homme.
• Les: the word for “the” before plural nouns, as in les haricots.

What are the French words for school items?

What are the French words for food and drink?

What are the French action words?

An action word, or verb, tells what someone does, and these four end in -er in their basic form.

What are the French describing words?

A describing word, or adjective, tells us more about a person or thing.

• Feminine forms: describing words change for a girl or woman, as in bon/bonne, grand/grande, laid/laide, joli/jolie.
• Irregular pairs: beau (masculine) becomes belle (feminine), and gros becomes grosse.

What are the French words for people?

Evaluation

1. Say the French names of the letters B, D, G, J, P and T.
2. Give the English meaning of: stylo, cahier, porte, fenêtre.
3. Write the French word for: rice, bread, sugar, tea.
4. What do these words mean: grand, laid, belle, bon?
5. Write the French words for girl, boy, woman and man.

Assignment

Choose ten words from the vocabulary list. Write each one in French with its English meaning, spell each aloud in French letter names, and practise saying them.