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French Adjectives - Agreement in Colour Words

French colour words, like other adjectives, must change their forms depending on whether the nouns they are describing are masculine (le/un words) or feminine (la/une words) and singular or plural.

Eg. le crayon noir (the black pencil)
      les crayons noirs (the black pencils)
      la chaussure noire (the black shoe)
      les chaussures noires (the black shoes)

Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine Plural
vert	verts	verte	vertes
noir	noirs	noire	noires
violet	violets	violette	violettes
brun	bruns	brune	brunes
gris	gris	grise	grises
bleu	bleus	bleue	bleues
blanc	blancs	blanche	blanches

The colours below are the same whether they are masculine or feminine.

Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine Plural
rouge	rouges	rouge	rouges
jaune	jaunes	jaune	jaunes
rose	roses	rose	roses
orange	oranges	orange	oranges

Can you translate the colours in the chart above?

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Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

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French Lessons From Your Dictionary at French4Homeschool

"When you have access to a good quality, comprehensive, French-English dictionary, you open up a world of possibilities to your French as a Second Language students. Vocabulary building is an important part of language learning, and having a good dictionary makes it easy and fun.

What dictionary should you buy?"

Read more at French4Homeschool.

French Adjectives - Agreement in Number and Gender

French adjectives can change their forms depending on whether the nouns they describe are masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Usually the feminine form adds “e” to the masculine adjective. This can change the pronunciation of the adjective by causing the final consonant to be pronounced.


Eg.: The dog is small.
     ms Le chien est petit. (puh-TEE)

The mouse is small.
     fs La souris est petite. (puh-TEET)


The plural form adds “s.” This “s” is almost never pronounced.

Eg.: The dogs are small.
     mp Les chiens sont petits. (puh-TEE)

The mice are small.
     fp Les souris sont petites. (puh-TEET)

In English, the adjective doesn't change,but in French it must agree in number (singular or plural) and in gender (masculine or feminine) with the noun that it is describing. Remember this when you are using any French adjective, especially colour words.

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Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

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aller = to go

Aller means to go in French. Aller is an irregular verb, which means it doesn't follow a particular pattern when it is conjugated. Take some time to memorize this important verb!

I go = je vais
you go = tu vas
he goes = il va
she goes = elle va
we go = nous allons
you go = vous allez
they go = ils vont, elles vont

For more information on aller, look for the free slideshow at nallenart.org.
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zh - an unusual sound

The sound that is sometimes represented by zh in phonetic notation is fairly rare in English.

In English, we use the zh sound in:

• g in beige
• s in usual

In French, it is the sound made by the letter j:

• je (I)
• jambon (ham)
• jardin (garden)

It is also the soft sound made by the letter g:

• girafe (giraffe)
• manger (to eat)

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u says "oo," almost

The French u sound is different from any sound we have in English. It is very close to the "oo" sound in food, but not exactly the same. To make the French u sound shape your tongue and teeth as if you are going to say "ee" and shape your lips as if you are going to say "oo" in food. The sound that comes out will be the French u sound!

Can you translate these French words?

tortue (tor-TY) - hint: a slow-moving animal
brune (bryn) - hint: brunette
tulipe (ty-LEEP) - hint: a spring flower
tuque (tyk) - hint: keeps your head warm in winter
lune (lyn) - hint: lunar

Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

* "y" = the French u sound. Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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é says "ay"

Sometimes French uses accents to show what kind of sound a certain letter should have. In French é says "ay." Here are some é words for you to translate.

bébé (bay-BAY)
téléphone (tay-lay-FUN)
éléphant (ay-lay-FAH)
café (ca-FAY)
télévision (tay-lay-vee-ZYOH)

Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

* Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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a says "a" in sack

In French, the letter a makes a short sound like the a in sack. Can you translate these French words based on their sound?

sac (sak)
radio (rad-YOH)
carotte (ca-RUT)
table (TA-bluh)
salade (sa-LAD)

Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

* Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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i says "ee"

The letter i says "ee" in French, as in the name Lisa. Here are some French words that use the "ee" sound made by the letter i. Can you tell what these words mean in English?

tigre (TEE-gruh)
appétit (a-pay-TEE)
favori (fa-voh-REE)
Bible (BEE-bluh)
girafe (zhee-RAF)*

Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.

* "zh" = g in beige or s in usual. Please note that these guides give only an approximation of the real French sounds.
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French Fact: Bilingual Canada

Did you know that Canada has two official languages? They are English and French. The Official Languages Act states that:

"the Constitution of Canada provides that English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and government of Canada."

Across the country English speaking students spend some of their time learning French and French speaking students spend some of their time learning English. Canadian students also have much more opportunity to develop their second language skills in everyday life, since both French and English can be seen on labels, road signs, and government websites and literature.

Just for fun, get a printable copy of Canada's food guide in French here:
Guide alimentaire canadien

LIRE = to read

Lire is an irregular verb meaning to read. The English words literature and literary are related to lire.

je lis (zhuh LEE)* = I read
tu lis (tyoo LEE) = you read
il lit (eel LEE) = he reads
elle lit (el LEE) = she reads
nous lisons (noo lee-ZOH) = we read
vous lisez (voo lee-ZAY) = you read
ils lisent (eel LEEZ) = they read
elles lisent (el LEEZ) = they read

*These pronunciation guides give only a rough approximation of the French sounds!

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Visit Nallenart for your French curriculum needs.

Sneak Preview of Nallenart.org

If you are looking for even more great free French teaching aids, there is much available now at Nallenart.org. The screenshot below offers an example of what is available for the first level of L'Art de lire:


The site is still under construction, but there are great free resources for you to take advantage of, including French Phonics Lapbooking Kits that correspond to the lessons in L'Art de lire 1 and 2.

You must register and login to access the material on the site. Click on Create New Account in the Login box. Registration will also enable you to receive email updates as new material is posted.

Go to Nallenart.org.

Chansons d'hiver

See if you can match these winter songs with their English titles. Notice that the titles might not be exactly the same in the two different languages!

FRENCH
L'enfant au tambour
Au royaume du bonhomme hiver
Sainte nuit
Promenade en traîneau

ENGLISH
Sleigh Ride
Winter Wonderland
Little Drummer Boy
Silent Night

La Neige

LA NEIGE = the snow

(la NAYZH)*

At my house here in Canada, the ground is covered with a white layer of snow. Though the days have started to get longer, there are many more snowy days ahead of us yet this winter!

Here is some more snowy winter vocabulary to use as you enjoy the season:

boule de neige ( bool duh NAYZH)* = snowball

bonhomme de neige (buhNUM duh NAYZH)* = snowman

*zh = g in beige or s in usual. Please note that these pronunciation guides give only a rough approximation of the real French sound.

Visit Nallenart for your French curriculum needs.

L'hiver, Vive le vent!

L'HIVER

(lee-VAYR* = the winter)

L'HIVER (lee- VAYR) means winter in French. On this January day, winter is now in full force in the northern hemishere. At my home in Canada, the ground is covered with a dazzling layer of snow. Canada is famous for winter sports including skating, skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and hockey.

Here is the French version of a familiar English song (to the tune of Jingle Bells). It celebrates the lively wind (le vent) of winter:

VIVE LE VENT
Vive le vent, vive le vent, vive le vent d'hiver!
Qui s'en va sifflant, soufflant dans les grands sapins verts, oh!
Vive le vent, vive le vent, vive le vent d'hiver!
Boules de neige et jour de l'An et "bonne année, grand-mère!"

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Le Soleil

Le SOLEIL
(luh soh-LAY = the sun)
Le soleil means the sun. As I write here in Canada, the days are getting longer as we move through the winter and anticipate the arrival of spring. The English word solar means "having to do with the sun," as in "solar system" (our sun and its satellites), "solar energy" (energy from the sun) and "solarium" (a place to enjoy the sun). Soleil and solar are descended from the Latin word for sun: sol.
To visit the site (with English links) of a French observatory where the sun is studied, visit: L'Observatoire de Paris

This Paris Observatory Solar Archive Site contains up-to-date photographs of the sun's activity.

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Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca/

Les Transports

Les Transports Workpages - $9.95 CDN

Make French unit studies easy with Nallenart's Workpages series!
Les Transports is a resource book of reproducible worksheets with a theme of transportation and travel, the verb aller, etc. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Designed for classroom or homeschool use. 24 pages.
Suitable for grades 3-8.

Les Transports Workpages

C$9.95

View sample pages. .

Le Dos

le dos (luh DOH) = the back

The French word for back comes from the Latin word for back - dorsum. The English word dorsal (on the back of something, as a dorsal fin on the back of a whale) is related to the French word dos.

Visit Nallenart for your French curriculum needs.

Le Nez

le nez (luh NAY)* = the nose

The French word for nose comes from the Latin word for nose - nasus. Related English words include nasal (pertaining to the nose), nose, and nostril. Many French and English words have a common origin in Latin.

*Please note that this pronunciation guide gives only a rough approximation of the real French sound.

Visit Nallenart for your French curriculum needs.

Le Pied

le pied (luh PEEAY)* - the foot


The French word for foot comes from the Latin word for foot - pedis. English words that are related are pedestrian (someone walking on foot), and pedal (something operated with your foot).

* This pronunciation guide gives only a rough approximation of the real French sound.

Visit Nallenart for more tools to help you learn French!

La Main

la main (la MEH)* - the hand

The French word for hand comes from the Latin word for hand - manus. English words that are related are manual (as in manual labour, which means working with your hands), and manuscript (something written by hand).

* This pronunciation guide gives only a rough approximation of the real French sounds.

Visit Nallenart for more tools to help you learn French!