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.
Read more at ClubMimi.com
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Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
French Pronunciation - How to Say Those New Sounds
English speakers in North America and around the world often have difficulty mastering the sounds of the French language. While many sounds are the same in French and English, there are several sounds that are so different they can hardly be described in English!
Here is an overview of some of these difficult pronunciations, and some tricks that will help you to master them and be on your way to speaking French like a native francophone.
The French u
The French u sound is similar to the English oo in food. The difference is in the flavor! To imitate the French u sound, hold your tongue and teeth as if you are saying ee in teeth. Go ahead, say ee. Without repositioning your tongue and teeth, shape your lips to say oo in food. Voila! This is how to pronounce the distinctive u sound in French.
Just a note: You will need to move your mouth to speak French. French speakers move their mouths much more than English speakers when they talk. This is why people who speak French are such good kissers! All that exercise strengthens the muscles.
Nasal Sounds
Nasal sounds are pretty much impossible to describe in words. They need to be heard and imitated. Here are some suggestions, though. These sounds, as indicated by the letters an, am, en, em, in, im, on, om, un, um, yn, and ym, really are nasal. You need to force some of the air up into the top of the back of your throat to properly pronounce them. You should be able to feel your nose vibrate if you are pronouncing these sounds correctly. Don’t worry. French people do this all the time!
Rolling R’s
The French r is distinctive, but there is also some room for variation. Having said that, here are some tips to help you get closer to the elusive French r. The fierce English r, with tongue pulled firmly back to the top of the throat, is unique. Though the French r might seem harsh to English speakers, it is actually a much softer sound.
Make your English r sound. Feel the rattle in the back of your throat. Now pull your tongue forward in your mouth to touch the back of your bottom teeth. It might feel a bit like gargling at first, but the sound should come out as something like the throaty French r.
Don’t be discouraged if this is difficult for you! Not all of us are born imitators, and we often need some coaching to correctly reproduce new sounds.
As we speak our native languages, most of us never give a single thought as to where we place our tongues, our teeth, and our lips. When learning another language, though, we need to think about these things. Correct positioning will help you to master difficult French sounds.
Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.
Here is an overview of some of these difficult pronunciations, and some tricks that will help you to master them and be on your way to speaking French like a native francophone.
The French u
The French u sound is similar to the English oo in food. The difference is in the flavor! To imitate the French u sound, hold your tongue and teeth as if you are saying ee in teeth. Go ahead, say ee. Without repositioning your tongue and teeth, shape your lips to say oo in food. Voila! This is how to pronounce the distinctive u sound in French.
Just a note: You will need to move your mouth to speak French. French speakers move their mouths much more than English speakers when they talk. This is why people who speak French are such good kissers! All that exercise strengthens the muscles.
Nasal Sounds
Nasal sounds are pretty much impossible to describe in words. They need to be heard and imitated. Here are some suggestions, though. These sounds, as indicated by the letters an, am, en, em, in, im, on, om, un, um, yn, and ym, really are nasal. You need to force some of the air up into the top of the back of your throat to properly pronounce them. You should be able to feel your nose vibrate if you are pronouncing these sounds correctly. Don’t worry. French people do this all the time!
Rolling R’s
The French r is distinctive, but there is also some room for variation. Having said that, here are some tips to help you get closer to the elusive French r. The fierce English r, with tongue pulled firmly back to the top of the throat, is unique. Though the French r might seem harsh to English speakers, it is actually a much softer sound.
Make your English r sound. Feel the rattle in the back of your throat. Now pull your tongue forward in your mouth to touch the back of your bottom teeth. It might feel a bit like gargling at first, but the sound should come out as something like the throaty French r.
Don’t be discouraged if this is difficult for you! Not all of us are born imitators, and we often need some coaching to correctly reproduce new sounds.
As we speak our native languages, most of us never give a single thought as to where we place our tongues, our teeth, and our lips. When learning another language, though, we need to think about these things. Correct positioning will help you to master difficult French sounds.
Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
French Adjectives - New Post at ClubMimi.com
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. Read more at ClubMimi.com
Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.
Visit Nallenart for more information about our French curriculum for grades K-9.
Monday, September 13, 2010
French Lessons From Your Dictionary
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? I highly recommend investing in the biggest and best one you can afford. Small paperback and pocket dictionaries just don’t have all the information you will need. A larger version, on the other hand, will contain conjugations, grammar, word histories, examples of world usage, and even sample letters and phrases to help you in conversation and composition.
Having a comprehensive dictionary allows you to build your French lessons based on other topics that you may be studying. If you are studying the continents of the world, for example, you can look them up and label them on your map in both French and English.
As you work through your history or science lessons, you can also do themed projects in French, such as booklets, posters, and oral presentations using the vocabulary of the specific areas you are working on. You might assign, for example, a poster on the mammals of North America. Your students can label their projects in English and French to double up on the learning potential.
One favorite project, when I taught my middle school classes, was always a restaurant menu. In our unit on food, students would make themed menus, designing colorful covers, inventing interesting restaurant names, and listing off the various meats, vegetables, beverages, and other foods they were learning about. Some students chose a sports theme, some a garden theme, etc. As a follow-up we would use the menus to act out a visit to the restaurant.
Having a comprehensive dictionary allows you to follow areas of interest to your children such as soccer, basketball, animals, cooking, etc. For a few years I taught a group of homeschoolled boys in my home once a week. One of our projects was learning about hockey equipment. I brought my son’s smelly hockey gear out and spread it around my kitchen and we named each piece. Then the boys drew pictures of hockey players, labelling their equipment. It was great fun, and the boys were motivated because it was a topic they were interested in.
Are you planning your vegetable garden for next spring? Map out where you will plant your beans, tomatoes, etc. and label it in French. Do you feed the birds in your backyard? Make a checklist in French of birds that are common to your area and check off each bird as you see it. Are you making a fun dessert for the family? Find the recipe in French and see if it tastes just as good!
With a good French-English dictionary, you can make French a relevant and fun part of your homeschool curriculum.
What dictionary should you buy? I highly recommend investing in the biggest and best one you can afford. Small paperback and pocket dictionaries just don’t have all the information you will need. A larger version, on the other hand, will contain conjugations, grammar, word histories, examples of world usage, and even sample letters and phrases to help you in conversation and composition.
Having a comprehensive dictionary allows you to build your French lessons based on other topics that you may be studying. If you are studying the continents of the world, for example, you can look them up and label them on your map in both French and English.
As you work through your history or science lessons, you can also do themed projects in French, such as booklets, posters, and oral presentations using the vocabulary of the specific areas you are working on. You might assign, for example, a poster on the mammals of North America. Your students can label their projects in English and French to double up on the learning potential.
One favorite project, when I taught my middle school classes, was always a restaurant menu. In our unit on food, students would make themed menus, designing colorful covers, inventing interesting restaurant names, and listing off the various meats, vegetables, beverages, and other foods they were learning about. Some students chose a sports theme, some a garden theme, etc. As a follow-up we would use the menus to act out a visit to the restaurant.
Having a comprehensive dictionary allows you to follow areas of interest to your children such as soccer, basketball, animals, cooking, etc. For a few years I taught a group of homeschoolled boys in my home once a week. One of our projects was learning about hockey equipment. I brought my son’s smelly hockey gear out and spread it around my kitchen and we named each piece. Then the boys drew pictures of hockey players, labelling their equipment. It was great fun, and the boys were motivated because it was a topic they were interested in.
Are you planning your vegetable garden for next spring? Map out where you will plant your beans, tomatoes, etc. and label it in French. Do you feed the birds in your backyard? Make a checklist in French of birds that are common to your area and check off each bird as you see it. Are you making a fun dessert for the family? Find the recipe in French and see if it tastes just as good!
With a good French-English dictionary, you can make French a relevant and fun part of your homeschool curriculum.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Trivia Facts and Quiz
http://www.ambafrance-ca.org/kid/kidFrameset-en.htm
Topics include culture, daily life, history, politics, geography, and economy.
Follow the link and test your knowledge!
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Friday, May 28, 2010
The importance of phonics
When your child is ready to learn to read in French, it is important to teach French phonics along with your vocabulary. While many sounds are the same in French, there are many sounds that are different. This can cause confusion and frustration if you don't make sure that these differences are explained.
Sounds that are the same in French and English
| SOUND | ENGLISH WORD | FRENCH WORD |
| ch (sh) | machine | chaud |
| c, k, qu | cat, keen, plaque | crayon, kayak, quatre |
| f, ph | France, telephone | France, téléphone |
| g | beige | girafe |
| g | gate | garçon |
| l | lion | lion |
| m | mirror | miroir |
| n | nine | neuf |
| p | pear | pomme |
| r | red | rouge |
| s, sc, c | since, science, centre | souris, science, centre |
| t, th | table | table, thé |
| v | vent | va |
| w | week | week-end |
| z, s | zebra, poison | zèbre, faisons |
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Vocabulary ideas for primary grades
When introducing French to young children, your vocabulary should include the same types of things that children would learn in kindergarten.
Vocabulary ideas for primary grades:
1) numbers - both counting and random numbers
un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze
Listen to the numbers 1-12 podcast at ClubMimi.com
2) colours - at least the masculine singular
rouge, jaune, bleu, orange, violet, vert, brun, noir, blanc
3) conversation and manners - introductions, please, thank you
eg.: bonjour, au revoir, je m'appelle..., comment vous appelez-vous?, s'il vous plaît, merci
4) classroom items - whatever your child uses every day
eg.: un crayon, un cahier, un livre, une chaise
5) days of the week - both in order and randomly
dimanche, lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi
6) the alphabet - The French alphabet uses the same letters as English, but with different names.
Listen to the alphabet podcast at ClubMimi.com
These are just a few suggestions. For complete lesson plans and teaching aids, see Nallenart's L'Art de dire.
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Vocabulary ideas for primary grades:
1) numbers - both counting and random numbers
un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze
Listen to the numbers 1-12 podcast at ClubMimi.com
2) colours - at least the masculine singular
rouge, jaune, bleu, orange, violet, vert, brun, noir, blanc
3) conversation and manners - introductions, please, thank you
eg.: bonjour, au revoir, je m'appelle..., comment vous appelez-vous?, s'il vous plaît, merci
4) classroom items - whatever your child uses every day
eg.: un crayon, un cahier, un livre, une chaise
5) days of the week - both in order and randomly
dimanche, lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi
6) the alphabet - The French alphabet uses the same letters as English, but with different names.
Listen to the alphabet podcast at ClubMimi.com
These are just a few suggestions. For complete lesson plans and teaching aids, see Nallenart's L'Art de dire.
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