Le corps humain
Primary 4 · French
Le corps humain
Lesson 3 of 4
40 min
Have you ever seen a very tall person bend down to go through a door?
In this story, a man is so tall that nothing in his house fits him. What will he do?
You can read this story with pictures and listen to it read aloud in French. Look at the pictures: they help you understand.
Sa houe était trop courte.
Sa porte d'entrée était trop basse.
Son lit était trop court.
Sa bicyclette était trop petite.
Cet homme était trop grand.
Il fabriqua un long manche pour sa houe.
Il agrandit ses portes.
Il fabriqua un très grand lit.
Il acheta une bicyclette très haute.
Il s'assit sur une chaise très haute et mangea avec une très grande fourchette.
Il quitta sa maison et vécut dans une grande forêt. Il vécut pendant de longues années.
This story is told in the past. You only need to recognise these verbs: était = was, fabriqua = made, agrandit = made bigger, acheta = bought, mangea = ate, quitta = left, vécut = lived.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| trop | too (too much) |
| grand / grande | tall, big |
| petit / petite | small |
| court / courte | short |
| long / longue | long |
| bas / basse | low |
| haut / haute | high |
| une houe, un manche | a hoe, a handle |
| une porte, un lit, une chaise | a door, a bed, a chair |
Rule 1. Most nouns add -s in the plural. The s is silent: you write it but you don't say it.
Rule 2. Nouns that already end in -s, -x or -z do not change.
Rule 3. Some nouns ending in -eu or -ou take an -x.
Rule 4. One special word changes completely: un œil → des yeux.
The little word in front changes too: le / la / l' → les, and un / une → des.
Tip
Listen to the little word. Your ears cannot hear the plural s, so listen to the word in front: le pied is one, les pieds is many. Les and des are like a flag that shouts: « More than one! »
Why was the man's bed a problem?
Answer: It was too short: « Son lit était trop court. »
What did he do to his doors?
Answer: He made them bigger: « Il agrandit ses portes. »
Write the plural: un bras → des ___
Answer: bras (it already ends in s).
Write the plural: un genou → des ___
Answer: genoux.
Write the plural: un œil → des ___
Answer: yeux.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Quick check
Which plural is right?
