Why is "Leaving out accents (writing *ecoutez* or *repetez*)" a common mistake in Classroom language?

Why it happens: English has no accents, so beginners treat them as optional decoration. How to avoid it: Treat the accent as part of the letter — *é* is a different letter from *e*. Learn and write *écoutez*, *répétez*, *français* with their accents from day one. Missing accents lose spelling marks in Paper 4. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports

Why is "Using *tu* with the teacher or examiner" a common mistake in Classroom language?

Why it happens: English has only one word for 'you', so the formal/informal distinction feels unnatural. How to avoid it: Default to **vous** with any adult, anyone in authority, and the examiner. Reserve *tu* for friends and classmates your own age. Match the verb too: *vous pouvez*, not *vous peux*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Speaking)

Why is "Wrong gender (*une stylo*, *un trousse*)" a common mistake in Classroom language?

Why it happens: The noun's ending doesn't reliably reveal its gender, so learners guess. How to avoid it: Never learn a noun alone — always learn it with *un* or *une*. Memorise *un stylo* and *une trousse* as complete units, not just *stylo* and *trousse*. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports

Why is "Freezing or replying in English when you don't understand" a common mistake in Classroom language?

Why it happens: Panic when a word is missed; English feels safer than staying in French. How to avoid it: Have your survival phrases ready: *Je ne comprends pas*, *Pouvez-vous répéter ?*, *Que veut dire … ?*. Staying in French keeps communication marks alive; switching to English forfeits them. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Speaking)

Why is "Pronouncing the -ez ending as it looks ('-ezz')" a common mistake in Classroom language?

Why it happens: Beginners read French with English sound rules. How to avoid it: Final **-ez** is pronounced 'ay': *écoutez* → 'ay-koo-TAY', *lisez* → 'lee-ZAY'. The final consonants are silent. Practise the commands aloud as a rhyming set. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Listening & Speaking)

Why is "Translating 'How do you say' word-for-word instead of using the set phrase" a common mistake in Classroom language?

Why it happens: Learners build the sentence from English rather than using the fixed French frame. How to avoid it: Memorise the ready-made frames as chunks: *Comment dit-on … ?* (How do you say …?) and *Que veut dire … ?* (What does … mean?). Don't try to assemble them word by word. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Speaking)

Language FoundationsCambridge IGCSE French (0520)

Classroom language

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Classroom Language — Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

Learn the exact French instructions teachers give and the phrases you need to survive (and shine) in a French lesson — perfect for absolute beginners, and tested directly in Listening and Speaking.

At a glance

Teacher instructions come in the vous command (imperative) form: Écoutez (listen), Lisez (read), Répétez (repeat), Regardez (look).
Open and close your books: Ouvrez vos livres (open your books) / Fermez vos livres (close your books).
Work together: Travaillez à deux (work in pairs) / Travaillez en groupes (work in groups).
Three lifesaver student phrases: Je ne comprends pas (I don't understand), Pouvez-vous répéter? (Can you repeat?), Comment dit-on … en français? (How do you say … in French?).
Ask about spelling and meaning: Comment ça s'écrit? (How is it spelt?) and Que veut dire …? (What does … mean?).
Classroom objects all have a gender: un stylo (a pen, masculine), un cahier (an exercise book, masculine), une trousse (a pencil case, feminine).
Most teacher commands end in -ez and are pronounced "-ay" — écoutez sounds like "ay-koo-TAY".
Always say s'il vous plaît (please) and merci (thank you) — politeness is rewarded in the Speaking test.

What you’ll learn

Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 syllabus (2025-2027).

Understand and respond to common spoken classroom instructions given by a teacher.
Use a bank of polite phrases to ask for help, repetition, spelling, and meaning in French.
Recognise and name everyday classroom objects with the correct gender (le/la, un/une).
Distinguish the formal vous command form used by teachers from the informal tu form.
Spell and pronounce key classroom vocabulary accurately, including correct accents.
Apply classroom language in a realistic role-play and in listening comprehension tasks.

Why classroom language is the first French you should master

It is the most predictable, most useful French in the whole course — and it appears in the exam.

If you are completely new to French, classroom language is the perfect place to begin. Here is why:

It is predictable. Teachers say the same handful of instructions every single lesson — Écoutez (listen), Répétez (repeat), Ouvrez vos livres (open your books). Once you know them, you will never be lost again.
It is genuinely useful. Phrases like Je ne comprends pas (I don't understand) and Pouvez-vous répéter? (Can you repeat?) let you survive any French conversation, not just a lesson.
It is examined. Cambridge weaves classroom vocabulary into Paper 1 (Listening) — you may hear a teacher giving instructions — and you will use polite phrases in Paper 3 (Speaking).

Two halves of classroom talk: the teacher commands, the student responds politely.

So even on day one, this vocabulary turns you from a silent learner into someone who can take part. Learn it well and the rest of the course feels far less frightening.

Classroom French is predictable — the same phrases repeat every lesson.
It is examined in Paper 1 (Listening) and Paper 3 (Speaking).
Mastering it early removes the fear of being 'lost' in French.

Teacher instructions — the vous command (imperative)

When a teacher tells the whole class to do something, the verb usually ends in -ez.

When a French teacher gives the class an instruction, they use the imperative — the command form. Because a teacher is speaking politely to a group, they use the vous form, which almost always ends in -ez and is pronounced like the English word "ay".

Here are the commands you will hear most often:

French command	Pronunciation	English meaning
Écoutez !	ay-koo-TAY /e.ku.te/	Listen!
Lisez !	lee-ZAY /li.ze/	Read!
Répétez !	ray-pay-TAY /ʁe.pe.te/	Repeat!
Regardez !	ruh-gar-DAY /ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/	Look! / Watch!
Écrivez !	ay-kree-VAY /e.kʁi.ve/	Write!
Ouvrez vos livres !	oo-VRAY vo LEEVR /u.vʁe vo livʁ/	Open your books!
Fermez vos livres !	fair-MAY vo LEEVR /fɛʁ.me vo livʁ/	Close your books!
Travaillez à deux !	tra-vah-YAY a DUH /tʁa.va.je a dø/	Work in pairs!
Travaillez en groupes !	tra-vah-YAY on GROOP /tʁa.va.je ɑ̃ ɡʁup/	Work in groups!
Levez la main !	luh-VAY la MAN /lə.ve la mɛ̃/	Raise your hand!
Asseyez-vous !	a-say-yay-VOO /a.se.je.vu/	Sit down!
Silence, s'il vous plaît !	see-LONSS seel voo PLEH /si.lɑ̃s sil vu plɛ/	Quiet, please!

Notice the pattern. Take the verb, keep the vous ending -ez, drop the word vous. So vous écoutez (you listen) becomes the command Écoutez ! (Listen!). This is the single most useful pattern in this whole subtopic.

A mini walk-through. Imagine the lesson starting:

Teacher: Bonjour la classe ! Asseyez-vous et ouvrez vos livres à la page dix. (Hello class! Sit down and open your books to page ten.)
You hear asseyez-vous (sit down) and ouvrez vos livres (open your books) — you know exactly what to do.

You don't need to understand every word — spotting the command verb is enough to follow the instruction.

Teacher commands use the vous form and end in -ez ('-ay').
Ouvrez/Fermez vos livres = open/close your books.
Travaillez à deux/en groupes = work in pairs/in groups.
To follow an instruction, listen for the command verb first.

Student phrases — how to ask for help politely

These ready-made phrases let you ask for repetition, spelling, and meaning without building a sentence from scratch.

These are the phrases that turn you from a passive listener into an active learner. Memorise them as whole "chunks" — you do not need to understand the grammar inside them to use them perfectly.

French phrase	Pronunciation	English meaning
Je ne comprends pas.	zhuh nuh kom-PRON pah /ʒə nə kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃ pa/	I don't understand.
Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?	poo-VAY voo ray-pay-TAY /pu.ve vu ʁe.pe.te/	Can you repeat, please?
Comment dit-on « … » en français ?	ko-MON dee-TON … on fron-SEH /kɔ.mɑ̃ di.tɔ̃ … ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃.sɛ/	How do you say "…" in French?
Comment ça s'écrit ?	ko-MON sa say-KREE /kɔ.mɑ̃ sa se.kʁi/	How is it spelt?
Que veut dire « … » ?	kuh vuh DEER … /kə vø diʁ …/	What does "…" mean?
Je ne sais pas.	zhuh nuh seh PAH /ʒə nə sɛ pa/	I don't know.
Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement ?	poo-VAY voo par-LAY ploo lont-MON /pu.ve vu paʁ.le ply lɑ̃t.mɑ̃/	Can you speak more slowly?
Comment ? / Pardon ?	ko-MON / par-DON /kɔ.mɑ̃ / paʁ.dɔ̃/	Sorry? / Pardon?
J'ai une question.	zhay oon kess-tee-ON /ʒe yn kɛs.tjɔ̃/	I have a question.
Merci beaucoup.	mair-SEE bo-KOO /mɛʁ.si bo.ku/	Thank you very much.

Why these matter so much. In the Speaking test (Paper 3), if you don't catch the examiner's question, the worst thing you can do is freeze or answer in English. The best thing you can do is say, in French, Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat, please?). This is polite, fluent, and shows you can manage a real conversation.

Worked mini-example. You hear a French word you don't know — say the examiner says cartable. You can reply:

Pardon, que veut dire « cartable » ? (Sorry, what does "cartable" mean?)

That single sentence keeps the conversation going and earns communication marks. (Un cartable = a school bag, by the way.)

Learn these as whole chunks — no grammar analysis needed to use them.
Je ne comprends pas + Pouvez-vous répéter? are your two emergency phrases.
Comment ça s'écrit? asks for spelling; Que veut dire …? asks for meaning.
Using these in Paper 3 earns communication and fluency marks.

Classroom objects — and why every noun has a gender

Every French object is either masculine (le/un) or feminine (la/une). Learn the gender WITH the word.

Sort each classroom object by gender — masculine (un) on the left, feminine (une) on the right.

In French, every noun has a gender — it is either masculine or feminine. This is not about the object being "manly" or "girly"; it is simply a grammatical label you must learn together with the word.

Masculine nouns take le (the) or un (a/an): le stylo, un stylo.
Feminine nouns take la (the) or une (a/an): la trousse, une trousse.

The golden rule for beginners: never learn a noun on its own — always learn it with un or une. Learn une trousse, not just trousse.

French (with gender)	Pronunciation	English meaning
un stylo (m)	uhn stee-LO /œ̃ sti.lo/	a pen
un crayon (m)	uhn kray-ON /œ̃ kʁɛ.jɔ̃/	a pencil
un cahier (m)	uhn ka-YAY /œ̃ ka.je/	an exercise book
un livre (m)	uhn LEEVR /œ̃ livʁ/	a book
un crayon de couleur (m)	uhn kray-ON duh koo-LUR /œ̃ kʁɛ.jɔ̃ də ku.lœʁ/	a colouring pencil
un bureau (m)	uhn bü-RO /œ̃ by.ʁo/	a desk
un tableau (m)	uhn ta-BLO /œ̃ ta.blo/	a board / whiteboard
un ordinateur (m)	uhn or-dee-na-TUR /œ̃ ɔʁ.di.na.tœʁ/	a computer
une trousse (f)	oon TROOSS /yn tʁus/	a pencil case
une gomme (f)	oon GOM /yn ɡɔm/	a rubber / eraser
une règle (f)	oon REGL /yn ʁɛɡl/	a ruler
une feuille (de papier) (f)	oon FUH-yuh /yn fœj/	a sheet (of paper)
une calculatrice (f)	oon kal-kü-la-TREESS /yn kal.ky.la.tʁis/	a calculator
une chaise (f)	oon SHEZ /yn ʃɛz/	a chair

Putting it together. To say "I have a pen", you say J'ai un stylo (I have a pen). To say "I don't have a rubber", you say Je n'ai pas de gomme (I don't have a rubber — note de replaces une after a negative). And to borrow politely: Est-ce que je peux emprunter un crayon, s'il vous plaît ? (Can I borrow a pencil, please?).

Spelling matters. Watch the accents and double letters: cahier (no accent), règle (grave accent on the first e), trousse and gomme (double s, double m). Examiners credit correct spelling in writing tasks.

Every noun is masculine (le/un) or feminine (la/une) — learn the gender with the word.
un stylo (pen), un cahier (exercise book), un crayon (pencil) are masculine.
une trousse (pencil case), une gomme (rubber), une règle (ruler) are feminine.
After a negative, un/une becomes de: Je n'ai pas de gomme.

Tu or vous? Choosing the right 'you'

French has two words for 'you': tu (informal, one friend) and vous (polite or plural). Use vous with a teacher.

English has just one word for "you". French has two, and choosing correctly is a politeness skill examiners notice.

tu — informal "you". Use it with one friend, classmate, family member, or someone your own age.
vous — polite or plural "you". Use it with a teacher, an adult you don't know well, or with more than one person (even friends).

In a classroom this means:

A teacher talking to the class uses vous: Écoutez ! (Listen!) — vous form, because it's a group.
You, talking to your teacher, should use vous to be polite: Pouvez-vous répéter ? (Can you repeat?) — never Peux-tu répéter ? to a teacher.
A classmate talking to another classmate can use tu: Tu as une gomme ? (Have you got a rubber?).

Situation	Use	Example
You → your teacher	vous	Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you help me, please?)
You → one classmate	tu	Tu peux me prêter un stylo ? (Can you lend me a pen?)
Teacher → the class	vous	Ouvrez vos livres ! (Open your books!)

Why it matters in the exam. In the Speaking test (Paper 3) you address the examiner as vous. Slipping into tu with the examiner sounds over-familiar. Get into the habit now: with anyone in authority or anyone you've just met, default to vous.

tu = one friend / someone your age (informal).
vous = a teacher, a stranger, or more than one person (polite/plural).
Always use vous with the examiner in the Speaking test.
Pouvez-vous …? (vous) is polite; Peux-tu …? (tu) is for friends only.

Pronunciation and accents — getting the sounds and spelling right

A handful of sound rules unlock most classroom words, and accents change both spelling and meaning.

French spelling looks intimidating at first, but a few reliable rules cover most classroom vocabulary.

Key sound rules:

Final -ez sounds like "ay": écoutez → "ay-koo-TAY". (This is why all the teacher commands rhyme.)
Final consonants are often silent: vos livres → the final s is not pronounced ("vo LEEVR").
ç (c-cedilla) sounds like "s": ça (that) → "sa", français (French) → "fron-SEH".
ou sounds like "oo": écoutez → "ay-koo-TAY", vous → "voo".
é (e-acute) sounds like "ay": répétez → "ray-pay-TAY".
è / ê (e-grave / e-circumflex) sound like "eh": règle → "REGL", fenêtre (window) → "fuh-NETR".

Accents are not optional decoration — they are part of the spelling. Leaving one out is a spelling error, and sometimes it changes the meaning:

a (has) vs à (to/at) — Il a un stylo (He has a pen) vs à la page dix (to page ten).
ou (or) vs où (where).
français needs the cedilla on the ç; without it, francais is simply wrong.

The five accents you'll meet:

Accent	Name	Example	Effect
é	accent aigu (acute)	répétez	makes "ay" sound
è	accent grave	règle	makes "eh" sound
ê	accent circonflexe	fenêtre	makes "eh" sound
ç	cédille (cedilla)	français	makes c sound like "s"
ë	tréma (diaeresis)	Noël (Christmas)	both vowels pronounced

When you write French in Paper 4 (Writing), always add the accents. repetez without accents would lose you a spelling mark; répétez is correct.

Final -ez = 'ay'; final consonants are often silent.
é = 'ay', è/ê = 'eh', ç = 's', ou = 'oo'.
Accents are part of the spelling — omitting them is an error.
Some accents change meaning: a (has) vs à (to/at).

How it’s examined

Classroom language is foundational vocabulary that surfaces across the four papers, most directly in Listening and Speaking.

Paper 1 (Listening): You may hear a teacher giving instructions or a classroom dialogue. You must recognise commands such as écoutez (listen) or ouvrez vos livres (open your books), and pick out details like the page number or who should work together. Train your ear for the command verb and for numbers.
Paper 3 (Speaking): This is where the student phrases earn marks. If you mishear the examiner, saying Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat, please?) keeps the conversation flowing and shows genuine communication. Always address the examiner as vous.
Paper 2 (Reading): Classroom and school vocabulary (objects, subjects, instructions) appears in short texts, signs, and messages.
Paper 4 (Writing): When describing your school day or a lesson, you'll use this vocabulary — and accurate spelling with accents (e.g. cahier, règle, français) is credited.

Examiner reports for beginner French consistently note that candidates lose easy marks by omitting accents and by mixing up tu and vous when addressing the examiner.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Syllabus 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Specimen Papers 2025-2027 (Listening & Speaking); Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-06-02.

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Worked examples, formulae, definitions and the mistakes examiners flag — everything you need to push from a pass to an A*.

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Step-by-step worked examples — Classroom language

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on classroom language, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Work out what the teacher wants you to do
Getting started• listening, imperatives
Question
You hear your teacher say: « Ouvrez vos livres à la page douze et lisez le texte. » What should you do?
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Find the command verbs. They end in -ez. Here there are two: Ouvrez and lisez.
2. Step 2
  Translate each command. Ouvrez = open (from ouvrir). Lisez = read (from lire).
3. Step 3
  Translate the objects. vos livres = your books. le texte = the text.
4. Step 4
  Decode the number. à la page douze = to page twelve. (douze = 12.) Numbers are a classic listening detail to catch.
5. Step 5
  Put it together. Open your books to page 12 and read the text.
Answer
Open your books to page 12 and read the text. (Command verbs: Ouvrez = open, lisez = read.)
Examiner tip
In Paper 1 (Listening), the marks here would be for catching the action (open/read) and the detail (page 12). Train yourself to lock onto the -ez verb and any number you hear.
2Ask for a word in French — politely
Getting started• speaking, student-phrases
Question
You want to know the French word for 'a rubber/eraser' but you don't know it. Ask your teacher in French.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Choose the right question frame. To ask for a French word, use Comment dit-on … en français ? (How do you say … in French?).
2. Step 2
  Insert the English word you want translated: Comment dit-on « a rubber » en français ?
3. Step 3
  Add politeness. End with s'il vous plaît (please) and use vous because you're speaking to a teacher.
4. Step 4
  Expected answer. The teacher replies une gomme (a rubber, feminine). Note the une — learn the gender with the word.
Answer
Comment dit-on « a rubber » en français, s'il vous plaît ? — and the answer is une gomme.
Examiner tip
This is exactly the kind of conversation-management language that earns communication marks in Paper 3 (Speaking). Using vous + s'il vous plaît shows appropriate register.
3Choose tu or vous correctly
Building confidence• speaking, register
Question
Choose tu or vous for each: (a) asking your teacher to repeat, (b) asking a classmate to lend you a pen.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  (a) Teacher = vous. A teacher is an adult in authority, so use the polite vous form: Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat, please?).
2. Step 2
  (b) Classmate = tu. A friend your own age takes the informal tu form: Tu peux me prêter un stylo ? (Can you lend me a pen?).
3. Step 3
  Check the verb endings. vous goes with pouvez; tu goes with peux. The verb changes to match the 'you' you chose.
Answer
(a) vous — Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (b) tu — Tu peux me prêter un stylo ?
Examiner tip
Examiners notice register. Addressing the Paper 3 examiner with tu sounds over-familiar; always default to vous with anyone in authority or anyone you've just met.
4Write classroom objects with correct gender and spelling
Building confidence• writing, gender, accents
Question
Write 'I have a pen, an exercise book and a pencil case' in French, with correct genders.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Start with 'I have'. J'ai … (I have). (Je ai contracts to J'ai.)
2. Step 2
  Add each object with its article. a pen = un stylo (m); an exercise book = un cahier (m); a pencil case = une trousse (f).
3. Step 3
  Join with 'and'. et = and. So: J'ai un stylo, un cahier et une trousse.
4. Step 4
  Check spelling. cahier has no accent; trousse has a double s. No accents are needed in this particular sentence, but always double-check.
Answer
J'ai un stylo, un cahier et une trousse. (I have a pen, an exercise book and a pencil case.)
Examiner tip
In Paper 4 (Writing), correct gender (un vs une) and accurate spelling are credited. une trousse with un would be a gender error.
5Survive a moment you didn't understand
Stretch• speaking, listening
Question
The teacher says something quickly and you catch only the word cartable. Build a short, polite exchange to find out what it means and what you must do.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Signal you didn't understand. Pardon, je ne comprends pas. (Sorry, I don't understand.)
2. Step 2
  Ask for the meaning of the unknown word. Que veut dire « cartable », s'il vous plaît ? (What does 'cartable' mean, please?)
3. Step 3
  Teacher answers. Un cartable, c'est un sac d'école. (A 'cartable' is a school bag.)
4. Step 4
  Ask for a repeat of the instruction. Merci. Pouvez-vous répéter l'instruction, s'il vous plaît ? (Thank you. Can you repeat the instruction, please?)
Answer
Pardon, je ne comprends pas. Que veut dire « cartable », s'il vous plaît ? … Merci. Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?
Examiner tip
Stringing together two or three of these phrases shows real conversational control — exactly what the top Speaking bands reward. Never freeze or switch to English.

Model Answers — Classroom language

High-scoring sample answers for classroom language on the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
Speaking — coping strategies. The examiner asks you a question and you don't catch a key word. Give a model way to handle it entirely in French.
Model answer
Pardon, je n'ai pas compris. (Sorry, I didn't understand.) Pouvez-vous répéter la question, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat the question, please?) Et que veut dire « … » ? Comment ça s'écrit ? (And what does "…" mean? How is it spelt?)
Why this scores
Why this scores. It uses three distinct strategies — apologising/flagging the problem (je n'ai pas compris), requesting a repeat with vous + s'il vous plaît, and asking for meaning and spelling. The variety and correct polite register lift it above a single memorised phrase, earning communication and interaction marks in Paper 3.
Question 2
Writing/Speaking — describe your pencil case. Say what is in your pencil case (your trousse).
Model answer
Dans ma trousse, j'ai un stylo bleu, deux crayons, une gomme et une règle. (In my pencil case, I have a blue pen, two pencils, a rubber and a ruler.) Je n'ai pas de calculatrice. (I don't have a calculator.)
Why this scores
Why this scores. Correct genders throughout (un stylo, une gomme, une règle), the adjective bleu placed after the noun (un stylo bleu) as French requires, a number (deux crayons), and a negative where de correctly replaces une (pas de calculatrice). That range of accurate structures is what moves a beginner answer up the mark bands.
Question 3
Listening follow-up. In your own French, report two instructions a teacher commonly gives.
Model answer
Le professeur dit souvent : « Écoutez bien et répétez après moi. » (The teacher often says: "Listen carefully and repeat after me.") Quelquefois il dit : « Travaillez à deux et écrivez vos réponses. » (Sometimes he says: "Work in pairs and write your answers.")
Why this scores
Why this scores. It recycles four classroom imperatives (écoutez, répétez, travaillez, écrivez) accurately inside a fuller sentence, and adds frequency words (souvent = often, quelquefois = sometimes). Embedding memorised vocabulary into longer structures demonstrates control rather than rote learning.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Classroom language

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for classroom language answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0520 sitting.

Imperative (l'impératif)
Examiner keyword
The command form of a verb, used to tell someone to do something. Teacher commands use the vous imperative, ending in -ez.
Example
Écoutez ! (Listen!) · Ouvrez vos livres ! (Open your books!)
vous (formal/plural 'you')
Examiner keyword
The polite or plural word for 'you'. Use it with a teacher, a stranger, or more than one person — including the examiner.
Example
Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat, please?)
tu (informal 'you')
Examiner keyword
The informal word for 'you', used with one friend, classmate, or family member your own age.
Example
Tu peux me prêter un stylo ? (Can you lend me a pen?)
Gender (le genre)
Examiner keyword
Every French noun is masculine (le/un) or feminine (la/une). The gender must be learnt together with the noun.
Example
un stylo (m, a pen) vs une trousse (f, a pencil case)
Indefinite article (un/une)
Examiner keyword
The French word for 'a/an': un before masculine nouns, une before feminine nouns. After a negative it becomes de.
Example
un cahier (an exercise book) · Je n'ai pas de gomme (I don't have a rubber)
Comment dit-on … ?
Examiner keyword
The set phrase 'How do you say …?' — used to ask for the French word for something.
Example
Comment dit-on « a ruler » en français ? — answer: une règle.
Que veut dire … ?
The set phrase 'What does … mean?' — used to ask for the meaning of a French word you don't know.
Example
Que veut dire « cartable » ? (What does 'cartable' mean?)
Comment ça s'écrit ?
The set phrase 'How is it spelt?' — used to ask someone to spell a word out, often letter by letter.
Example
— C'est « Dupont ». — Comment ça s'écrit ? (— It's 'Dupont'. — How is it spelt?)
s'il vous plaît
'Please' (formal/plural). The polite tag added to requests when using vous. The tu version is s'il te plaît.
Example
Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you speak more slowly, please?)
Accent (un accent)
A mark added to a letter that affects pronunciation and is part of the spelling: é (aigu), è (grave), ê (circonflexe), ç (cédille), ë (tréma).
Example
répétez (two acute accents) · français (cedilla on the ç)

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Classroom language

The traps other students keep falling into on classroom language questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0520 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Leaving out accents (writing ecoutez or repetez)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports
Why it happens
English has no accents, so beginners treat them as optional decoration.
How to avoid it
Treat the accent as part of the letter — é is a different letter from e. Learn and write écoutez, répétez, français with their accents from day one. Missing accents lose spelling marks in Paper 4.
✕Using tu with the teacher or examiner
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Speaking)
Why it happens
English has only one word for 'you', so the formal/informal distinction feels unnatural.
How to avoid it
Default to vous with any adult, anyone in authority, and the examiner. Reserve tu for friends and classmates your own age. Match the verb too: vous pouvez, not vous peux.
✕Wrong gender (une stylo, un trousse)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports
Why it happens
The noun's ending doesn't reliably reveal its gender, so learners guess.
How to avoid it
Never learn a noun alone — always learn it with un or une. Memorise un stylo and une trousse as complete units, not just stylo and trousse.
✕Freezing or replying in English when you don't understand
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Speaking)
Why it happens
Panic when a word is missed; English feels safer than staying in French.
How to avoid it
Have your survival phrases ready: Je ne comprends pas, Pouvez-vous répéter ?, Que veut dire … ?. Staying in French keeps communication marks alive; switching to English forfeits them.
✕Pronouncing the -ez ending as it looks ('-ezz')
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Listening & Speaking)
Why it happens
Beginners read French with English sound rules.
How to avoid it
Final -ez is pronounced 'ay': écoutez → 'ay-koo-TAY', lisez → 'lee-ZAY'. The final consonants are silent. Practise the commands aloud as a rhyming set.
✕Translating 'How do you say' word-for-word instead of using the set phrase
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports (Speaking)
Why it happens
Learners build the sentence from English rather than using the fixed French frame.
How to avoid it
Memorise the ready-made frames as chunks: Comment dit-on … ? (How do you say …?) and Que veut dire … ? (What does … mean?). Don't try to assemble them word by word.

Past paper style quiz

Get a report showing which sub-topics you've nailed and which ones still need work.

Classroom language

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Work out what the teacher wants you to do

2Ask for a word in French — politely

3Choose tu or vous correctly

4Write classroom objects with correct gender and spelling

5Survive a moment you didn't understand

Imperative (l'impératif)

vous (formal/plural 'you')

tu (informal 'you')

Gender (le genre)

Indefinite article (un/une)

Comment dit-on … ?

Que veut dire … ?

Comment ça s'écrit ?

s'il vous plaît

Accent (un accent)

✕Leaving out accents (writing ecoutez or repetez)

✕Using tu with the teacher or examiner

✕Wrong gender (une stylo, un trousse)

✕Freezing or replying in English when you don't understand

✕Pronouncing the -ez ending as it looks ('-ezz')

✕Translating 'How do you say' word-for-word instead of using the set phrase

Past paper style quiz