Se Presenter – JSS1 French Lesson Note (First Term)

Se présenter means introducing yourself in French by giving your name, age, home, nationality, state, school, languages, favourite things and a friend’s name.

Behavioural objectives

1. Ask and give a name in French.
2. Ask and give an age and a place of residence.
3. Say their nationality and the state they come from.
4. Ask and give the name of a school and of a friend.
5. Introduce themselves in a short passage that includes their languages, favourite food, favourite colour and favourite subject.

How do you greet someone before introducing yourself?

You greet with Bonjour first, then give your name and ask the other person’s name.

• Bonjour: Good morning or hello (used in the day).
• Bonsoir: Good evening.
• Salut: Hi (used with friends).
• Enchanté(e): Pleased to meet you (add -e if you are a girl).
• Au revoir: Goodbye.

What is the difference between tu and vous?

Tu and vous both mean “you”, but they are used with different people.

• Tu: one person you know well, such as a classmate, a friend or a child.
• Vous: an older person, a stranger, a teacher, or more than one person.

Lesson 1: how do you introduce yourself in French?

How do you ask someone’s name?

You ask a name with the verb s’appeler, and all the forms below mean “What is your name?”

• Comment tu t’appelles? What is your name? (everyday speech)
• Tu t’appelles comment? What is your name? (informal)
• Comment t’appelles-tu? What is your name? (to one person you know)
• Comment vous appelez-vous? What is your name? (polite)
• Quel est ton/votre nom? What is your name? (uses the word nom)

How do you give your name?

You give your name with Je m’appelle, which means “My name is”.

• Je m’appelle Amina. My name is Amina.
• Je m’appelle Bassey Aban. My name is Bassey Aban.
• Je m’appelle Adebayo Abiola. My name is Adebayo Abiola.
• Je m’appelle Benson. My name is Benson.
• Je m’appelle …………………………………… My name is … (write your own name).

• Monsieur: Mr, used when speaking about a man.
• Madame: Mrs, used when speaking about a married woman.
• Mademoiselle: Miss, used when speaking about a young girl or unmarried woman.

How do you ask and give your age?

French uses the verb avoir (to have) for age, so “I am ten” is literally “I have ten years”.

• Quel âge as-tu? / Vous avez quel âge? How old are you?
• J’ai dix ans. I am ten years old.
• J’ai douze ans. I am twelve years old.

How do you ask and give where you live?

You ask where someone lives with Où habites-tu? and answer with J’habite à and the town.

• Où habites-tu? Where do you live?
• J’habite à Lagos. I live in Lagos.
• J’habite à Abule-Egba. I live in Abule-Egba.

How do you ask and give your nationality?

Nationality is given with Je suis, and the word takes an extra -e when the speaker is a girl or woman.

• Quelle est votre nationalité? What is your nationality?
• Je suis nigérian(e). I am Nigerian.
• Je suis française. I am French (a girl or woman).
• Je suis togolaise. I am Togolese (a girl or woman).
• Je suis sénégalais. I am Senegalese (a boy or man).

How do you say which state you come from?

You ask with D’où viens-tu? and answer with Je viens de l’état de and the state.

• D’où viens-tu? Where do you come from?
• Je viens de l’état d’Oyo. I come from Oyo State.
• Je viens de l’état d’Edo. I come from Edo State.
• Je viens de l’état de Lagos. I come from Lagos State.

• d’: used before a vowel, as in d’Oyo and d’Edo.
• de: used before a consonant, as in de Lagos.

How do you ask the name of a school?

You ask with Comment s’appelle votre école? and answer with Mon école s’appelle and the school name.

• Comment s’appelle votre école? What is the name of your school?
• Mon école s’appelle Elias International Secondaire… My school is called Elias International Secondary…

Lesson 2: how do you give a full introduction?

A full introduction, l’introduction, joins each piece of information into one short speech, as the table shows.

Which verbs do you need for an introduction?

Four verbs carry most of an introduction: s’appeler, avoir, être and habiter.

• s’appeler: gives a name (Je m’appelle Amina).
• avoir: gives an age (J’ai dix ans).
• être: gives nationality and job (Je suis nigérian. Je suis élève).
• habiter: gives a home (J’habite à Lagos).

How do you say your languages, favourite food and favourite colour?

Use Je parle for languages, Mon plat favori est for food and J’adore for a colour.

• Je parle anglais et français. I speak English and French.
• Mon plat favori est le riz. My favourite food is rice.
• J’adore le rose et le blanc. I love pink and white.

How do you ask and give a friend’s name?

You ask with Comment s’appelle votre ami(e)? and answer with Mon ami (boy) or Mon amie (girl).

• Comment s’appelle votre ami(e)? What is your friend’s name?
• Mon ami s’appelle Peter. My friend (a boy) is called Peter.
• Mon amie s’appelle Blessing. My friend (a girl) is called Blessing.

How do you say your favourite subject?

You say your favourite subject with Je préfère followed by the subject.

• Votre matière préférée: Je préfère les mathématiques. Your favourite subject: I prefer mathematics.
• Pourquoi les mathématiques? Parce que je préfère le calcul. Why mathematics? Because I prefer calculation.

What does a full introduction in French look like?

A full introduction is a short passage that follows the order of the Lesson 2 table.

• Bonjour! Hello!
• Je m’appelle Amina Bello. My name is Amina Bello.
• J’ai onze ans. I am eleven years old.
• Je suis nigériane. I am Nigerian.
• Je viens de l’état de Kano et j’habite à Lagos. I come from Kano State and I live in Lagos.
• Je parle anglais, français et haoussa. I speak English, French and Hausa.
• Je suis élève. Je fréquente Elias International Secondaire. I am a pupil. I attend Elias International Secondary.
• Mon plat favori est le riz. J’adore le bleu. My favourite food is rice. I love blue.
• Je préfère le français. I prefer French.
• Mon ami s’appelle Peter. My friend is called Peter.

Evaluation

1. Write two ways of asking someone’s name in French.
2. Answer in French: Quel âge as-tu? Où habites-tu?
3. Write the question and answer for your nationality and the state you come from.
4. Ask a classmate the name of their school, then write your own answer to the same question.

Assignment

Write a short introduction of yourself in French, using the Lesson 2 table as a guide. Include your name, age, nationality, state, school, languages, favourite food and favourite colour. Add the name of a friend.