Below, I have listed the major vocabulary, grammar and structures that students will learn or have already learned in French class. As in my previous newsletters, I have tried to provide an English translation along with more phonetic spellings of how these words and phrases actually sound in French (for those parents who would like to practice with their children but have a limited knowledge of French).
French (sounds like...) English meaning
une île (oon-eel) an island
des cavernes (day-ca-vairn) caves
des chauves-souris (day-show-v-soo-ree) bats
des chutes d`eau (day-shyut-doh) waterfalls
des cochons sauvages (day-co-shohn-so-vajh) wild pigs
des coquillages (day-co-kee-yajh) seashells
des coraux (day-co-ro) coral
des crabes (day-crab) crabs
le jungle (oon-jhuhn-gluh) the jungle
un lagon (uhn-la-gohn) a lagoon
des montagnes (day-mohn-tan-yeuh) mountains
des oiseaux tropicaux (day-zwa-zo-tro-pee-co) tropical birds
une plage (oon-plajh) a beach
des poissons tropicaux (day-pwa-sohn-tro-pee-co) tropical fish
des rapides (day-ra-peed) rapids
une rivière (oon-ree-vyair) a river
des singes (day-sehnj) monkeys
au nord (o-nor) in the north ; to the north
au sud (o-sood) in the south ; to the south
à l`est (a-lest) in the east ; to the east
à l`ouest (a-loo-west) in the west ; to the west
dans (dohn) in
sur (syuhr) on
derrière (dair-yair) behind
à côté de (a-co-tay-duh) beside
Qu`est qu`il y a ? (kess-keel-ee-yah-) What is there ?
Il y a . (eel-ee-a- ) There is/are .
e.g. Qu`est-ce-qu`il y a au nord des cavernes?
Il y a une rivière.
Où est/sont ? (oo-eh/sohn-?) Where is/are ?
est/sont . ( -eh/sohn- . ) The is/are .
e.g. Où est l e jungle?
Le jungle est à l`est de la rivière.
e.g. Où sont les chauves-souris?
Les chauves-souris sont dans les cavernes.
I hope that you have found this newsletter informative and that you feel able to practice some French at home with your child. Since the majority of emphasis during French class is on oral communication (even when students are writing or reading), and since most students hear and speak French only during this brief time each day, it is extremely helpful for you to practice these words and phrases with them, even if it is only for a few minutes on the weekend. Rather than merely drilling your child using this newsletter (for example, asking them to translate each item, line-by-line), I recommend sitting down with your child and asking them to teach you how to speak these words and phrases in French, and also how to put words together to form sentences. This type of practice is more engaging for both of you, and leads to a deeper level of learning, more than memorizing and repeating back do.
French (sounds like...) English meaning
une île (oon-eel) an island
des cavernes (day-ca-vairn) caves
des chauves-souris (day-show-v-soo-ree) bats
des chutes d`eau (day-shyut-doh) waterfalls
des cochons sauvages (day-co-shohn-so-vajh) wild pigs
des coquillages (day-co-kee-yajh) seashells
des coraux (day-co-ro) coral
des crabes (day-crab) crabs
le jungle (oon-jhuhn-gluh) the jungle
un lagon (uhn-la-gohn) a lagoon
des montagnes (day-mohn-tan-yeuh) mountains
des oiseaux tropicaux (day-zwa-zo-tro-pee-co) tropical birds
une plage (oon-plajh) a beach
des poissons tropicaux (day-pwa-sohn-tro-pee-co) tropical fish
des rapides (day-ra-peed) rapids
une rivière (oon-ree-vyair) a river
des singes (day-sehnj) monkeys
au nord (o-nor) in the north ; to the north
au sud (o-sood) in the south ; to the south
à l`est (a-lest) in the east ; to the east
à l`ouest (a-loo-west) in the west ; to the west
dans (dohn) in
sur (syuhr) on
derrière (dair-yair) behind
à côté de (a-co-tay-duh) beside
Qu`est qu`il y a ? (kess-keel-ee-yah-) What is there ?
Il y a . (eel-ee-a- ) There is/are .
e.g. Qu`est-ce-qu`il y a au nord des cavernes?
Il y a une rivière.
Où est/sont ? (oo-eh/sohn-?) Where is/are ?
est/sont . ( -eh/sohn- . ) The is/are .
e.g. Où est l e jungle?
Le jungle est à l`est de la rivière.
e.g. Où sont les chauves-souris?
Les chauves-souris sont dans les cavernes.
I hope that you have found this newsletter informative and that you feel able to practice some French at home with your child. Since the majority of emphasis during French class is on oral communication (even when students are writing or reading), and since most students hear and speak French only during this brief time each day, it is extremely helpful for you to practice these words and phrases with them, even if it is only for a few minutes on the weekend. Rather than merely drilling your child using this newsletter (for example, asking them to translate each item, line-by-line), I recommend sitting down with your child and asking them to teach you how to speak these words and phrases in French, and also how to put words together to form sentences. This type of practice is more engaging for both of you, and leads to a deeper level of learning, more than memorizing and repeating back do.