Bonjour, everyone! This is a fun topic because family is very important to us, especially here in Kenya. We will learn the names of family members and also practice numbers from 20 to 100. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to introduce your family members using 'Voici'. In French, father is 'le père', mother is 'la mère', brother is 'le frère', and sister is 'la sœur'. Repeat after me: le père, la mère, le frère, la sœur. Remember, we are talking about nuclear family, just like your own family at home. Numbers from 20 to 100. We already know numbers 1 to 19. We go further: vingt (20), trente (30), quarante (40), and so on. For example, to say you have 2 brothers and 1 sister, you need numbers. Can you say 'j'ai deux frères et une sœur'? Let's practice counting by tens in French: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix, cent. Finally, let's learn how to introduce family members. We use the word 'Voici' which means 'here is' or 'this is'. For example: 'Voici mon père' (This is my father), 'Voici ma mère' (This is my mother). You can use this with your own family. If you have a photo, you can say 'Voici mon frère'. That's all for today's introduction. You now know the key words for family members, numbers 20-100, and how to introduce someone with 'Voici'. Next, we will practice with a fun activity. Très bien, everyone!
👋 Karibu, class! Let's start our journey with the title: Les membres de la famille — that means 'The members of the family'. First up: le père. This means 'the father'. In Swahili, you might say Baba. Just remember: le père is Baba. Easy, right? Next: la mère. This means 'the mother'. In Swahili, we say Mama. la mère = Mama. These words sound a bit like English! That makes them easy to remember. Let's talk about your brothers. In French, 'the brother' is le frère. In Swahili, you might call him Kaka. Repeat after me: le frère. Finally: la sœur means 'the sister'. In Swahili, we say Dada. la sœur = Dada. We have all four family members. It is time to practice! I will say the French word, and you repeat after me. Le père — [pause] — La mère — [pause] — Le frère — [pause] — La sœur — [pause]. Excellent job, everyone!
First, let's look at the tens from 20 to 50. Twenty is 'vingt', thirty is 'trente', forty is 'quarante', fifty is 'cinquante'. Notice how they all end with a similar sound? Practice saying them with me: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante. For the higher tens: 60 is 'soixante', 70 is 'soixante-dix', 80 is 'quatre-vingts', 90 is 'quatre-vingt-dix', and 100 is 'cent'. These take a little more practice. For example, 'soixante-dix' literally means 'sixty-ten' – sixty plus ten gives seventy. 'quatre-vingts' means 'four twenties' – four times twenty equals eighty. Interesting, right? An example: 'Mon père a 45 ans' – 'My father is 45 years old.' In French, 45 is 'quarante-cinq' – we say forty-five the same way. Think of someone in your family – how old are they? Try to say their age in French. It's your turn! Repeat after me: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix, cent. You're doing great. Practice at home by counting family members' ages – you'll be surprised how quickly you learn.
Let's learn how to introduce our family members using the French word 'Voici'. It means 'Here is' or 'This is'—perfect for showing someone a photo of your family. At this first example: 'Voici mon père.' That's 'Here is my father.' Notice we use 'mon' because 'père' is a masculine word. In French, each noun has a gender, and the possessive adjective must match it. Next: 'Voici ma mère.' 'Here is my mother.' Since 'mère' is feminine, we use 'ma'. The pattern is simple—'mon' for masculine family members, 'ma' for feminine ones. Another masculine example: 'Voici mon frère.' 'Here is my brother.' See? 'Mon' again because 'frère' is masculine. What about sister? That would be 'ma sœur'—feminine, so 'ma'. Here's the quick rule: use 'mon' with masculine words (like père, frère, oncle) and 'ma' with feminine words (like mère, sœur, tante). It's that straightforward. Can you think of any other family members you might want to introduce? It's your turn! Imagine you have a family photo. Point to someone and say: 'Voici mon…' or 'Voici ma…' For example, if you have a cousin named Kevin, you could say 'Voici mon cousin.' Let's practice together.
