Colours

Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 – Personal and Social Life

Topic: Colours (Les Couleurs)

Learning objectives – by the end of the lesson students will be able to:

• recognise and use the full colour vocabulary required by the syllabus;
• describe objects, people, places and food using colour adjectives with correct gender‑ and number‑agreement;
• apply être and avoir (affirmative and negative) in colour‑related sentences;
• use a range of functional expressions (preference, opinion, comparison, agreement/disagreement);
• identify cultural meanings attached to each colour in French‑speaking societies;
• pronounce colour words accurately, including liaison, nasal vowels and the silent final e.

1. Colour vocabulary

2. Adjective agreement

3. Using être and avoir with colours

Colour adjectives are normally linked to the subject with être. Avoir is used for permanent body features (eyes, hair) and for a few idiomatic expressions.

4. Functional language (speaking & writing)

• Giving a preference:
  Quel est ton/ta couleur préférée ? – Ma couleur préférée, c’est le rouge.
• Stating an opinion:
  Je trouve le bleu très apaisant.
• Making a comparison:
  Le bleu est plus calme que le rouge.
• Agreeing / disagreeing:
  Je suis d’accord / Je ne suis pas d’accord.
• Expressing dislike:
  Je n’aime pas le gris, c’est trop sombre.

5. Extension – colours in different contexts

Use the same adjective forms when talking about food, places, people, etc.

• Le gâteau est rouge. (food)
• Il a les cheveux blonds. (body feature – note that “blond” follows the same agreement pattern as “blanc”).
• La ville est blanche à cause du brouillard. (place)
• Les pommes sont vertes. (objects)
• Le drapeau du Québec est bleu et blanc. (symbolic colour).

6. Cultural notes – what each colour can mean

• Le blanc – worn at funerals in France; also the colour of purity in weddings.
• Le rouge – evokes passion, energy, and the French Revolution; used for the “rouge‑gorge” (robin).
• Le bleu – national colour (Tricolour), associated with liberty, calm and the sea.
• Le vert – symbol of nature; the colour of the flag of Québec and of many regional “vert et blanc” landscapes.
• Le noir – formal wear (tuxedo), also linked to mourning.
• Le jaune – sunshine and happiness; used for caution signs.
• Le violet – historically the colour of royalty and of the Catholic liturgical season of Advent.
• Le gris – often associated with dullness or old age; “grisaille” is a style of monochrome painting.
• Le rose – associated with femininity and romantic gestures.
• L’orange – a colour of harvest festivals (e.g., “Fête des oranges” in Nice).

7. Pronunciation tips (speaking AO)

• Liaison with plural nouns: the final s of les is pronounced before a vowel‑initial colour adjective – les orange → /le z‿ɔʁɑ̃ʒ/.
• Nasality: blanc /blɑ̃/, gris /ɡʁi/ (no nasal).
• Final e: silent in rose (/ʁoz/), pronounced in orange (/ɔʁɑ̃ʒ/).
• Silent letters: the t in vert and the h in blanc are not pronounced.

8. Practice activities (exam‑style)

1. Match the colour to the French word (paper‑and‑pencil).
   Red – ________   Blue – ________   Green – ________   Yellow – ________   Purple – ________   Pink – ________
2. Fill‑in the blanks (agreement).
   1. La robe est ______ (rose).
   2. Les chapeaux sont ______ (noir).
   3. Le ciel est ______ (bleu).
   4. Les murs de la chambre sont ______ (vert).
   5. Je n’aime pas les pulls ______ (gris).
3. Negative transformation (use ne … pas).
   a) Le tableau est jaune → Le tableau n’est pas jaune.
   b) J’ai les yeux bleus → Je n’ai pas les yeux bleus.
4. Listening (Paper 1) – a 30‑second audio describes a living‑room. Students answer:
   • What colour are the curtains?
   • How many blue cushions are there?
   • Is the carpet light‑coloured or dark‑coloured?
5. Picture‑matching (Paper 2) – four photos of rooms. Match each picture with a description using at least three colour adjectives (e.g., “La chambre a les murs verts et le lit blanc”).
6. Writing task – Write a short paragraph (3‑4 sentences) describing the colours in your bedroom or a favourite outfit. Include:
   • one functional expression from section 4,
   • one negative sentence,
   • both être and avoir where appropriate.

9. Assessment criteria (aligned with the Cambridge syllabus)

• Correct spelling and meaning of colour vocabulary.
• Accurate gender‑ and number‑agreement, including the invariable forms orange and rose.
• Appropriate use of être and avoir in both affirmative and negative sentences.
• Use of functional language: preferences, opinions, comparisons, agreement/disagreement.
• Clear pronunciation of colour words (liaison, nasal vowels, final‑e rules).
• Coherent written paragraph that meets the word‑limit and includes the required structures.