Ma famille
Primary 2 · French
Ma famille
Lesson 4 of 4
20 min
Say ta tante slowly: ta – tante.
The first word has [a], like in papa. The second word has [ɑ̃], the nose sound.
You met these sounds in P1. Today you will hear them in pairs of words, and learn how to write [ɑ̃].
[a]: open your mouth. The air goes out of your mouth. ta, la, papa, le chat.
[ɑ̃]: open your mouth and send the air out through your nose. Do not say the n or the m! tante, les parents, le champ, grand.
Listen: le chat (the cat) and le champ (the field) are almost the same. Only the nose sound changes the word!
Rwanda has the nose sound too! Say it the French way: Rw-an-da.
chante = sings. dans le champ = in the field.
Gatete presents his grandmother. Read it aloud. Can you hear the [ɑ̃] sounds?
Je te présente ma grand-mère. C'est la mère de mon papa. Elle s'appelle Nyirahabimana. Elle habite à Musanze. Elle a un grand champ de pommes de terre. Elle vend ses pommes de terre au marché. J'aime beaucoup ma grand-mère !
un grand champ = a big field. les pommes de terre = potatoes (ibirayi). Elle vend = she sells.
Your partner asks: « C'est qui ? » Present one person in four steps:
Then swap!
Tip
The hand test
Put your hand flat under your nose. Say a: no air on your hand. Now say an: you feel warm air. That is the nose sound!
Say your answer out loud first, then tap Show answer to check.
le chat or le champ: which one has the nose sound [ɑ̃]?
Answer: le champ
Which word has only the [a] sound: ta or tante?
Answer: ta
How do we write [ɑ̃] in les parents?
Answer: en
Complete: « C'est la mère de ___ papa. » (my)
Answer: mon
Your uncle is a police officer. Say it with il.
Answer: « Il est policier. »
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The explanations, the drawing, the text about Gatete's grandmother, the games and the exercises (Try it yourself and the practice questions) are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Which word has the nose sound [ɑ̃]?
