Grade 7 · Core French · Unit 5 of 8
Cognates and strategies
Words that look alike
What your child practises
Using cognates and context to understand new French words, and watching out for false friends such as librairie.
New Brunswick Curriculum skill descriptor: Reading and Viewing: Read, Comprehend, Respond, Interpret · reading French texts and showing understanding
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which strategy helps when you listen to French?
- Cover your ears
- Wait for someone to speak English
- Listen for words you know and watch gestures
Listen for words you know and watch gestures
Hint: Cognates are words that look alike in English and French: animal, hôpital, restaurant. Beware of faux amis (false friends) that look alike but mean something different.
Question 2
What does «la bibliothèque» mean?
- the bookstore
- the library
- the notebook
the library
Hint: Cognates are words that look alike in English and French: animal, hôpital, restaurant. Beware of faux amis (false friends) that look alike but mean something different.
Question 3
What does «la monnaie» mean? (a faux ami)
- the moon
- a monkey
- change, or coins
change, or coins
Hint: “La monnaie” is the small change in your pocket, not the word for all money.
Question 4
Which French word is a cognate of «family»?
- frère
- ami
- famille
famille
Hint: Cognates are words that look alike in English and French: animal, hôpital, restaurant. Beware of faux amis (false friends) that look alike but mean something different.
Question 5
You see «cinéma» on a sign. What is it?
- a circus
- a movie theatre
- a market
a movie theatre
Hint: Cognates are words that look alike in English and French: animal, hôpital, restaurant. Beware of faux amis (false friends) that look alike but mean something different.
Question 6
What does «la veste» mean? (a faux ami)
- the vest
- the jacket
- the west
the jacket
Hint: A vest is “un gilet”. “La veste” is a jacket.