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C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: First Steps

Moi! Writing with Je suis, J'ai and J'aime

D1.2 D2.1 D2.3 C1.2About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can write sentences about me with je m'appelle, je suis, j'ai and j'aime.
  • I can say my age in French with j'ai ... ans.
  • I can write about my family with mon, ma, mes.
  • I can write what I like and don't like with j'aime and je n'aime pas.
  • I can plan my writing with a web.

Words to know

je
I. Before a vowel it becomes j': j'ai, j'aime.
je suis
I am.
j'ai
I have.
j'aime / je n'aime pas
I like / I don't like.
mon, ma, mes
My. mon for masculine, ma for feminine, mes for plural.
une toile d'idées
An idea web: a planning picture with your topic in the middle.

Write about the most interesting person: you!

With just four sentence starters, you can write a whole paragraph about yourself in French:

  • Je m'appelle... (My name is...)
  • Je suis... (I am...)
  • J'ai... (I have...)
  • J'aime... (I like...)

Notice the little ' in j'ai and j'aime. Je drops its e before a vowel: not je ai, but j'ai.

A pair of black hockey skates, a hockey stick and a puck on the snowy edge of an outdoor rink.
If you love winter sports, you could write: J’aime le hockey. J’ai des patins. What would you put in a photo about you? AI-generated image
je+aij'ai= I haveje+aimej'aime= I likeBefore a vowel, je drops its e and gets an apostrophe ( ' ).
Je + ai becomes j'ai, and je + aime becomes j'aime: the e drops out and an apostrophe takes its place.
StarterMeaningExamples
Je m'appelle...My name is...Je m'appelle Maya.
Je suis...I am...Je suis en quatrième année. (I am in Grade 4.) Je suis canadien / canadienne.
J'ai... ansI am ... years old (I have ... years)J'ai neuf ans.
J'ai...I have...J'ai un chien. J'ai une sœur.
J'aime...I like...J'aime le hockey. J'aime les chats.
Je n'aime pas...I don't like...Je n'aime pas la pluie. (I don't like the rain.)
Sentence starters for writing about yourself.

Age uses avoir (to have)!

In English you say I am nine. In French you say J'ai neuf ans: I have nine years. Saying Je suis neuf is a very common mistake. Remember: age = j'ai ... ans.

My family: mon, ma, mes

My changes like le, la, les:

  • mon + masculine: mon père (my father), mon frère (my brother), mon grand-père
  • ma + feminine: ma mère (my mother), ma sœur (my sister), ma grand-mère
  • mes + plural: mes parents, mes grands-parents, mes cousins

Families come in many shapes. Write about the people in your family: J'ai deux mères. J'habite avec mon père. J'ai un demi-frère (half-brother). All families are great families.

Je suis + a describing word

With je suis, a girl adds -e to many describing words, just like with colours:

  • Liam: Je suis grand. (I am tall.) Zoé: Je suis grande.
  • Liam: Je suis content. (I am happy.) Zoé: Je suis contente.

J'aime + le, la, les

After j'aime, use le, la, l' or les, not un/une: J'aime le chocolat. J'aime les chiens. J'aime la neige.

To say you don't like something, put ne ... pas around aime: Je n'aime pas les épinards (spinach). (ne becomes n' before a vowel.)

MoiJe m'appelle BenJ'ai neuf ansMa familleJ'aime...
An idea web (une toile d'idées): put Moi in the middle and one idea on each branch.
Worked example

Let's plan and write together

Use Ben's idea web to write 5 sentences about him: name Ben, 9 years old, Grade 4, has a sister and a cat, likes hockey and pizza, doesn't like the rain.

  1. Plan: each branch of the web becomes one or two sentences.
  2. Name: Je m'appelle Ben.
  3. Age (use avoir!): J'ai neuf ans. School: Je suis en quatrième année.
  4. Family and pets: J'ai une sœur et un chat. (et = and)
  5. Likes: J'aime le hockey et la pizza. Dislike: Je n'aime pas la pluie.
  6. Check: capital letter at the start, a period at the end, accents (sœur, année).

Je m'appelle Ben. J'ai neuf ans. Je suis en quatrième année. J'ai une sœur et un chat. J'aime le hockey et la pizza. Je n'aime pas la pluie.

Worked example

Let's read about someone else

Read this short text:

Bonjour! Je m'appelle Amélie. J'ai dix ans. J'habite à Hearst, en Ontario. J'ai deux frères. Mon chien s'appelle Caramel. J'aime la neige et le ski. Je n'aime pas les moustiques!

  1. J'ai dix ans → Amélie is 10.
  2. J'habite à Hearst, en Ontario → she lives in Hearst, Ontario.
  3. J'ai deux frères → she has two brothers.
  4. Mon chien s'appelle Caramel → her dog's name is Caramel.
  5. J'aime la neige et le ski → she likes snow and skiing. Je n'aime pas les moustiques → she doesn't like mosquitoes (a cognate!).

Amélie is 10, lives in Hearst, has two brothers and a dog named Caramel, likes snow and skiing, and doesn't like mosquitoes.

Hands-on activity

All-about-me poster

You need: a big paper, markers, a photo or a self-portrait drawing.

  1. Plan: draw an idea web. Put Moi in the middle and 4 branches: nom (name), âge, famille (family and pets), j'aime / je n'aime pas.
  2. Write: turn each branch into a sentence using the starters.
  3. Check with your grown-up: Is age written with J'ai ... ans? Are there capitals and periods? Did you use mon / ma / mes correctly?
  4. Publish: copy your best sentences neatly onto the poster around your picture.
  5. Read your poster out loud to someone at home or on a video call with a relative.
Just for fun

Watch out: neuf means nine but also new. So if you write Je suis neuf, you are saying I am new, like a toy fresh out of the box! Write J'ai neuf ans instead.

Your turn

1

Write My name is Sara.

2

Write I am nine years old.

3

Write I have a dog.

4

Write I like hockey.

5

Fill in mon, ma or mes: ___ mère.

6

Fill in mon, ma or mes: ___ grands-parents.

7

Write I don't like the rain.

More practice: warm-up

1

What does je suis mean?

2

What does j'ai mean?

3

What does j'aime mean?

4

Fill in: ___ père (my father).

5

Which is correct: je ai or j'ai?

More practice: on your own

1

Fix the mistake: Je suis dix ans.

2

A girl writes Je suis content. How should she write it?

3

Write I have a brother and two sisters.

4

Read: Mon chat s'appelle Neige. Il est blanc. What is the cat's name, and what colour is it?

5

Write I like cats but I don't like spiders. (spiders = les araignées; but = mais)

Challenge

1

Find 3 mistakes: je m'appelle Leo. Je suis 9 ans. J'aime une pizza.

2

Write 4 sentences about a friend or family member using il (he) or elle (she): Il s'appelle... Il a ... ans. Il est... Il aime...

3

Read Amélie's text in this lesson again. Write 2 sentences comparing yourself to her. Example starter: Amélie aime..., mais moi, j'aime...

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

How do you write I am ten years old?

2.

Which is correct for my sister?

3.

What does Je n'aime pas les épinards mean?

4.

Which sentence is correct?

5.

A girl wants to write I am tall. What does she write?

6.

What is an idea web for?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The curriculum asks Grade 4 students to write short French texts for real purposes (D1.2), to plan with pre-writing strategies such as brainstorming and graphic organizers (D2.1), and to use a few conventions correctly, such as high-frequency present-tense verbs (je suis, j'ai, j'aime) and the right pronouns for family members (D2.3). Reading short personal texts supports C1.2.

Common difficulties:

  • Je suis neuf ans. The most common error. Remind: age = j'ai ... ans.
  • Je ai / Je aime. Practise the apostrophe: j'ai, j'aime.
  • mon/ma/mes. Link it to le/la/les from the earlier lesson.
  • J'aime un chat vs J'aime les chats. After aimer, use le/la/les.

Families: The lesson invites children to describe their own family, whatever its shape. If your child wants to write about a family member who has died or lives far away, J'aime ma grand-mère works beautifully.

At home: Ask your child to write a 4-sentence French "profile" of a pet, a stuffed animal or a favourite athlete.