Senses and perceiving
Les sens et la perception
- Describe taste, smell, sight, sound and touch
- Compare things
- Comparative adjectives: "Plus", "Moins", "Aussi"
Learn how to describe and compare sensory experiences in French with key vocabulary and comparative adjectives. Practice practical dialogues and verb conjugations to talk about tastes, smells, sights, sounds, and touch effectively.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (16) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Sort the words according to whether they relate to senses or tastes to better remember their meaning.
Les sens (la perception)
Les goûts (les saveurs)
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
L'ouïe
Hearing
2
Clair
Clear
3
La voix
The voice
4
Doux
Soft
5
Voir
To see
Exercice 5: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Describe the opposite in the pictures using comparatives (more than, as, less than). (Describe the opposite in the pictures using comparatives (more than, as, less than).)
- Ask the person sitting next to you, if they prefer sweet or salty food, sweet or bitter drinks,... (Ask the person sitting next to you, if they prefer sweet or salty food, sweet or bitter drinks,...)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Le café est plus amer que le thé. Coffee is more bitter than tea. |
|
Une pomme est plus dure qu'une banane. An apple is harder than a banana. |
|
Les fleurs sentent meilleur que les chaussettes. Flowers smell better than socks. |
|
La nourriture salée a aussi bon goût que la nourriture sucrée. Salty food tastes as good as sweet food. |
|
Préférez-vous l'odeur du café ou du thé ? Do you prefer the smell of coffee or tea? |
|
Je préfère l'odeur amère du café. I prefer the bitter smell of coffee. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Je ___ sentir la douce odeur des fleurs dans le jardin.
(I ___ smell the sweet scent of flowers in the garden.)2. Tu ___ goûter ce gâteau sucré ?
(You ___ taste this sweet cake?)3. Il ___ entendre un bruit plus clair que toi.
(He ___ hear a clearer noise than you.)4. Nous ___ voir la robe qui est aussi jolie que le pantalon.
(We ___ see the dress that is as pretty as the pants.)Exercise 8: A Tasting at the Market
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Pouvoir - Pouvoir
Présent
- je peux
- tu peux
- il/elle/on peut
- nous pouvons
- vous pouvez
- ils/elles peuvent
Vouloir - Vouloir
Présent
- je veux
- tu veux
- il/elle/on veut
- nous voulons
- vous voulez
- ils/elles veulent
Exercise 9: Les adjectifs comparatifs: "Plus", "Moins", "Aussi"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Comparative adjectives: "Plus", "Moins", "Aussi"
Show translation Show answersmoins, aussi, plus
Grammar Share Copied!
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A1.26.2 Grammaire
Les adjectifs comparatifs: "Plus", "Moins", "Aussi"
Comparative adjectives: "Plus", "Moins", "Aussi"
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Pouvoir to be able to Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') je peux | I can |
| tu peux | you are able to |
| il/elle/on peut | he/she/one can |
| nous pouvons | we can |
| vous pouvez | You can |
| ils/elles peuvent | They are able to |
Vouloir to want Share Copied!
present
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') veux | I want |
| (tu) veux | you want |
| (il/elle/on) veut | he/she/one wants |
| (nous) voulons | we want |
| (vous) voulez | you want |
| (ils/elles) veulent | they want |
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Understanding Senses and Comparisons in French
This lesson introduces you to the French vocabulary related to the senses and taste, focusing on how to describe and compare sensory experiences using comparative adjectives. You will learn key sensory words such as l'odorat (smell), l'ouïe (hearing), la vue (sight), le toucher (touch), and le son (sound), along with taste-related adjectives like salé (salty) and sucré (sweet).
Key Comparative Adjectives
The lesson focuses on three essential comparative adjectives in French: plus (more), moins (less), and aussi (as). You will practice forming sentences that compare different objects or sensations, for example:
- La pomme est plus sucrée que la poire. (The apple is sweeter than the pear.)
- Le son de la musique est moins fort qu'hier. (The sound of the music is less loud than yesterday.)
- Le chocolat est aussi salé que le fromage. (The chocolate is as salty as the cheese.)
Practical Dialogues and Contexts
The course includes dialogues set in everyday contexts such as markets, cafés, and clothing stores to practice comparing tastes, smells, and textures naturally. For example, you will learn how to discuss the sweetness of fruits or the softness of fabrics in French, enhancing your conversational skills.
Verb Conjugation Focus
Additionally, you'll reinforce your knowledge of important verbs like pouvoir (can) and vouloir (want) in the present tense, which often accompany sensory descriptions, helping you to articulate preferences and abilities related to perceiving senses.
Comparisons Between English and French
Unlike English, French places the comparative adjective directly after the adjective and before the noun, connected with plus, moins, or aussi. For example, “sweeter” becomes plus sucré. Also, in French, the definite article (like le, la) is often used before the noun when making comparisons: le goût de ce fruit est plus sucré que celui de la pomme (
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