French animals: match un chien, un chat and more: what children learn
Animals and pets are a popular Key Stage 2 French topic, because children love talking about them and the words are easy to picture. This matching game pairs fourteen animals, from un chien (a dog) and un chat (a cat) to une grenouille (a frog) and un cochon (a pig), with their English meanings.
Each word is shown with un or une, the French words for “a”. That is on purpose: every French noun is masculine or feminine, and learning the little word together with the noun makes grammar much easier later. Reading the words carefully and matching them to their meanings is exactly what the curriculum statement asks for.
This topic covers a Key Stage 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Subject content): pupils should be taught to “read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing”. The programme of study sets this for the whole of Key Stage 2, so schools choose when to teach it; we have placed this game in Year 4 (ages 8–9).
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.
Step by step
- Start with pets. Un chien, un chat, un lapin, une souris, un poisson, un oiseau. Ask: which pets do we know?
- Add farm animals. Un cheval, une vache, un cochon, un mouton, un canard.
- Learn the article with the word. Always say un chien, une souris, never just chien.
- Look for clues. Serpent looks like serpent in English (a snake). Some words give hints, others do not.
- Build a sentence. J’ai un chat (I have a cat). Je n’ai pas de chien (I don’t have a dog).
Worked examples
Example 1: What does une souris mean?
Working: It is a small animal that a cat might chase.
Answer: A mouse.
Example 2: What does un cheval mean?
Working: You can ride it.
Answer: A horse.
Example 3: Is it un or une grenouille?
Working: Grenouille is a feminine noun.
Answer: Une grenouille.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking une souris means a smile. Sourire is to smile. Une souris is a mouse.
- Thinking all animals ending in -e are feminine. Many are, but not all: un serpent has no -e, and the rule has exceptions. Learn each word with un or une.
- Saying chevals for horses. The plural is chevaux, an irregular form.
Activities to try at home
- Name your pets or toy animals in French.
- Visit a farm or zoo website and say the animals in French.
- Draw your dream pet and label it.
- Print the game sheet and cut out the cards to play pairs.
Ideas for the classroom
- Play animal charades: pupils act, others name the animal in French.
- Make a class pet survey: J’ai un chat, j’ai un chien.
- Sort animal cards into un and une.
- Play the matching game in pairs.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why is tortue not in the game?
Une tortue can mean a tortoise or a turtle, so the match would have two right answers.
What does un/une mean?
Both mean “a”. Un goes with masculine nouns and une with feminine nouns.
Is there an animal word for both?
Some animals have different words for male and female, such as un chat and une chatte, but the game uses the most common form.