1.4: Qui est-ce ? Identifier les personnes
Objectifs
In this section, you will learn how to:
- Ask who people are
- Identify who people are
Media Alternative
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
On étudie !
| Questions | Réponses au singulier | Réponses au pluriel |
|---|---|---|
|
Qui est-ce ? |
C’est + personne (affirmatif) Ce n’est pas + personne (négatif) |
Ce sont + personnes (affirmatif) Ce ne sont pas + personnes (négatif) |
|
Est-ce que c’est + personne ? Est-ce que ce sont + personnes ? |
Oui, c’est + personne (affirmatif) Non, ce n’est pas + personne (négatif) |
Oui, ce sont + personnes (affirmatif) Non, ce ne sont pas + personnes (négatif) |
Pour en savoir plus.
Qui
| Qui | Who |
|---|---|
|
Qui est-ce ? |
Who is it? |
|
Qui sont-ils ? (pluriel, masculin) Qui sont-elles ? (pluriel, féminin) |
Who are they? |
| Est-ce que c’est… ? | Is it…? |
|
C’est… (singulier) Ce sont… (pluriel) |
It’s… It’s… |
Comment se présenter
| Français | Anglais |
|---|---|
|
Comment s’appelle-t-il ? Comment s’appelle-t-elle ? |
What is his name? What is her name? |
|
Il s’appelle… Elle s’appelle… |
His name is… Her name is… |
On pratique !
Qui-est ce ?
Activité A
C’est qui ? Let’s ask each other who other people are in the classroom:
Étudiant(e) 1 : C’est qui ça ? (pointing at a classmate)
Étudiant(e) 2 : Ça c’est Aurèle.
Pratiquez →
Étudiant(e) 1 : C’est qui ça ? (pointing at a classmate)
Étudiant(e) 2 : Ça c’est ________.
Activité B
You think you know who that person is, but you are not sure:
Étudiant(e) 1 : Est-ce que c’est Georges ? (pointing at a classmate)
Étudiant(e) 2 : Oui, c’est George. Non. C’est Paul.
Pratiquez →
Étudiant(e) 1 : Est-ce que c’est ________ ? (pointing at a classmate)
Étudiant(e) 2 : Oui, c’est ________. Non. C’est ________.
Variations :
Daniel : Qui est-ce ?
Sophie : C’est Marie.
Catherine : Est-ce que c’est Marc ?
Paul : Non, c’est Georges.
Guillaume : Comment s’appelle-t-elle ?
Frédérick : Elle s’appelle Madame Rudio.
Louis : Comment s’appelle l’ami de Sophie ?
Henri : C’est Daniel.
Activité C
Form groups of 4-6 people. Greet each other and ask for each other’s names. Then have one person from your group ask another person from a different group what his, her name is and what the names of all her group members are. Then, take turns making sure that you got other students’ names right by asking
Activité D
Work with a partner. Each of you should find a picture of (1) your family, (2) the members of your favorite band or (3) the cast of a show you like. Then and tell each other who is in the picture. Ask each other who some of the people are as well.
Modèle :
— Ça c’est moi. Ça c’est Jean. Ca c’est Gérard. Etc.
— Qui est-ce ? Ça c’est qui ? C’est qui ça ?
— C’est Paul.
On approfondit !
Use the following resources to type accents and/or search for words:
- Accents: ç, à, é, è, â, ê, î, ô, û, ù, ë, ï, ü
- Dictionnaire français-anglais
Exercice 1 : Identifier les personnes
Structure – Comment ça s’écrit ?
Objectifs
In this section, you will learn about:
- The French alphabet
- French accent marks
Media Alternative
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
On étudie !
L’alphabet français
Alphabet
| Lettres | Exemples |
|---|---|
| A | comme alligator |
| B | comme bison |
| C | comme canari |
| D | comme dauphin |
| E | comme éléphant |
| F | comme faon |
| G | comme girafe |
| H | comme hamster |
| I | comme iguane |
| J | comme jaguar |
| K | comme koala |
| L | comme lion |
| M | comme mule |
| N | comme narval |
| O | comme orque |
| P | comme panthère |
| Q | comme quetzal |
| R | comme rat |
| S | comme scorpion |
| T | comme tigre |
| U | comme urial |
| V | comme vautour |
| W | comme wallaby |
| X | comme xérus |
| Y | comme yack |
| Z | comme zèbre |
Ressources supplémentaires
- Practice identifying and pronouncing the letters of the French alphabet with this video: French alphabet.
- Listen and sing along to this French alphabet song.
Les signes diacritiques
Here are the important accents and diacritical marks to remember in French. They are important for both spelling and pronunciation:
[AUDIO FILE]
Les signes diacritiques
| Signes | Exemples | Explications |
|---|---|---|
| accent aigu (´) | étudiant, marié, café | Indicates that an is pronounced like the underlined vowels in day or late, but shorter and crisper. When a French word begins with é is often means that an s would appear at the beginning of the English equivalent: éponge -> sponge; état —> state; étudiante —> student. |
| accent grave (`) | très, à | Indicates that an e is pronounces like the in the English word pet. For example: très, nièce, père. When it is placed over an a or a u, it does not change the pronunciation, but it does distinguish words. Compare: la (the) vs. là (there); ou (or) vs. où (where); a (has) vs. à (to, at). |
| accent circonflexe (ˆ) | hôpital, âge, île, août, sûr | This mark can appear above any vowel. It indicates that a letter has been dropped form an older version of the word, usually an s. This can help us identify mots apparentés. For example: hôpital (hospital), forest (forêt), fête (feast). L’accent circonflexe can also help distinguish between words with similar spellings: mûr (ripe) vs. mur (wall); sûr (sure) vs. sur (on). |
| tréma (¨) | naïve, Haïti, égoïste | Indicates that the vowel under it must be pronounced separately form the vowel next to it (without blending) |
| cédille (ç) | ça, garçon, français | Softens the letter c to be pronounced like an English /s/ instead of a /k/. |
On pratique !
Activité A
The names of these animals begin with which letter of the alphabet? Don’t forget the appropriate accent if there’s one.
- __léphant
- __anard
- __oala
- __rque
- __igre
- __guane
- __lligator
- __ion
- ________èbre
- __allaby
This page titled 1.4: Qui est-ce ? Identifier les personnes is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by William J. Carrasco, Shahrzad Zahedi, & Caren Barnezet Parrish.
- Current page by William J. Carrasco, Shahrzad Zahedi, & Caren Barnezet Parrish is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.
- 1.7: Description physique des personnes by William J. Carrasco, Shahrzad Zahedi, & Caren Barnezet Parrish is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.
- 1.3: Comment se présenter by William J. Carrasco, Shahrzad Zahedi, & Caren Barnezet Parrish is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.
This page titled 1.12: Structure – Comment ça s’écrit ? is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by William J. Carrasco, Shahrzad Zahedi, & Caren Barnezet Parrish.