Sorting game
Plural in French, singular in English: sort the tricky nouns
Les vacances, les cheveux, les toilettes are plural in French; un pantalon, un jean are singular where English says trousers and jeans. Sort sixteen tricky nouns.
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In short
Some French nouns are always plural where English uses a singular: les vacances (holiday), les cheveux (hair), les toilettes (the toilet), les informations (the news). Others are singular where English uses a plural: un pantalon (trousers), un jean (jeans), un short (shorts).
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Tap a word, then the box it belongs in.
Which nouns are plural in French but singular in English?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Mes cheveux sont longs. | My hair is long. |
| Les vacances étaient super. | The holiday was great. |
| Ce pantalon est trop court. | These trousers are too short. |
| Il m'a donné un bon conseil. | He gave me a good piece of advice. |
Agreement follows the French number: mes cheveux sont (plural), ce pantalon est (singular). Un cheveu is a single hair, as in il y a un cheveu dans ma soupe. English "advice" and "information" are uncountable, but French conseil and renseignement can be counted: deux conseils.
- Coiffeuse
Vos cheveux sont très secs.
Your hair is very dry.
- Toi
Oui, c'est les vacances à la plage !
Yes, it's from the beach holiday!
- Coiffeuse
Je vous donne un conseil : un masque une fois par semaine.
Here's a tip: a hair mask once a week.
- Mes cheveux est long.Mes cheveux sont longs.
Cheveux is plural.
- des pantalons (for one pair)un pantalon
One pair of trousers = un pantalon.