Key Stage 2 languages · Speaking

KS2 languages: opinions and asking for help for parents

Real conversations involve opinions and misunderstandings. In Key Stage 2 languages, children learn to say what they like and dislike and why, to react to what someone else says, and to ask for repetition or help when they do not understand. These phrases are among the most useful that a learner can have.

Opinions and asking for help, explained

Giving opinions starts with a small ladder of phrases. In French this is “j’adore”, “j’aime”, “je n’aime pas” and “je déteste”, and in Spanish “me encanta”, “me gusta”, “no me gusta” and “odio”. Children then learn to add a reason with the conjunction “parce que” or “porque” (because), using simple describing words such as “c’est bon” or “es divertido” (it is fun). This follows the curriculum’s aim of speaking in sentences with familiar vocabulary and basic structures: an opinion, a topic and a reason make a complete, meaningful sentence.

Opinions bring in two grammar differences from English that are worth knowing about. In French, a general liking uses “the”, which English leaves out: “J’aime le chocolat” means “I like chocolate” and “J’aime les chats” means “I like cats”. In Spanish, “gustar” works the other way round: “me gusta” works like “it pleases me”, so the ending depends on the thing liked, not the person. It is “me gusta el chocolate” for one thing and “me gustan los gatos” for several, and Spanish uses “the” here too. Teachers often use colour or gestures to make the singular and plural pattern clear.

Responding to someone else’s opinion is a separate skill and is just as important. Children learn to agree (“moi aussi” in French; “a mí también” in Spanish after “me gusta”), to disagree politely (“moi, je n’aime pas ça”; “a mí no”) and to ask the question back (“et toi ?”; “¿y a ti?” after “me gusta”). Some schools also teach “moi non plus” and “a mí tampoco”, which are used to agree with a negative statement. After other verbs, such as “tengo un perro”, Spanish uses “yo también” and “yo tampoco” instead. English has the same split between “me too” and “me neither”, but children easily forget it in a new language, so careful listening to what the other person said matters.

The last strand is asking for clarification and help. Children are taught to say, in the language, “I don’t understand” (“je ne comprends pas”, “no entiendo”), “can you repeat that?” (“tu peux répéter ?”, “¿puedes repetir?”), “more slowly, please” (“plus lentement, s’il vous plaît”, “más despacio, por favor”) and “how do you say… in French?” (“comment dit-on… en français ?”, “¿cómo se dice… en español?”). Learning these phrases means that when a child gets stuck they can keep talking in the language rather than switching to English. This part of the programme of study is marked as not applicable to ancient languages, because when a school teaches Latin or Ancient Greek the focus is on reading.

Words your child will hear

Opinion: What you think or feel about something, such as liking or disliking it.
Reason: The “because” part that explains an opinion.
Agree / disagree: To say you share, or do not share, someone else’s opinion.
Clarification: Making something clearer, for example by asking someone to repeat or explain it.
Conjunction: A joining word such as “parce que” or “porque” (because). Some teachers call it a connective.
Repeat: To say again. Asking someone to repeat is a normal part of any conversation.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 2, pupils should be taught to:

Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help*
Speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: opinion, response and a request for help

A Year 5 child is practising French with a partner. They want to say they like pizza and why, react to a different opinion, and ask for help when they do not understand. How does it go?

State the opinion with the right article. French uses “the” for general likes, so “J’aime la pizza.” (Not “J’aime pizza”.)
Add a reason with a conjunction: “J’aime la pizza parce que c’est bon.” They have now built a full sentence with an opinion and a reason. Then they ask “Et toi ?” to hand the conversation over.
Listen to the partner’s answer: “Moi, je n’aime pas la pizza, mais j’adore les spaghettis.” The child recognises “je n’aime pas” (I don’t like) and “j’adore” (I love), but is not sure about the last word.
Ask for help in the language: “Pardon, je ne comprends pas. Tu peux répéter, s’il te plaît ?”. The partner says it again more slowly, and now the child hears “spaghettis”, a word that sounds like English.
Respond to the opinion. The child says “Moi aussi, j’aime les spaghettis.” Because the partner’s positive opinion is about spaghetti, “moi aussi” (me too) agrees with it.

A: J’aime la pizza parce que c’est bon. Et toi ? B: Moi, je n’aime pas la pizza, mais j’adore les spaghettis. A: Pardon, je ne comprends pas. Tu peux répéter, s’il te plaît ? B: J’adore les spaghettis. A: Moi aussi, j’aime les spaghettis.

Common mistakes and how to help

Using “me gusta” with a plural, such as “me gusta los gatos”

English “I like” has the same form for one thing and many, so children do not realise that “gustar” changes with the thing that is liked.

What helps: Show the pairs side by side: me gusta el helado, me gustan los helados. Ask “one thing or lots?” before choosing the ending.

Leaving out “the” in French: “J’aime chocolat”

In English we say “I like chocolate” with no article, so a word-for-word translation misses it out.

What helps: Teach the phrase “j’aime le/la/les” as a unit. Underline the article each time it appears in an example sentence, and ask which word is needed (le, la or les) by looking at the noun.

Saying “moi aussi” in reply to a negative opinion

“Moi aussi” and “yo también” are the first agreeing phrases children learn, so they use them for everything. After a negative statement, French and Spanish need a different phrase, “moi non plus” and “a mí tampoco” (after “no me gusta”), just as English changes from “me too” to “me neither”.

What helps: Practise short pairs: “J’aime les chats. Moi aussi.” and “Je n’aime pas les araignées. Moi non plus.” Children who are ready can sort sentences into the two groups.

Staying silent when they do not understand

Children may be embarrassed to say they are lost, or may not know how to ask in the language, so they say nothing or switch to English.

What helps: Make asking for help a point of pride. Practise the phrases until they feel natural, and thank your child when they use one, because it shows good learning.

How to help at home

Likes and dislikes chart. Make a simple chart of foods, animals or hobbies for each member of the family and mark who likes what. Then describe it in the language, using the ladder from “love” to “don’t like”.
The “because” challenge. Each time your child gives an opinion, ask for a reason. Even a short one, such as “because it is fun”, turns an opinion into a proper sentence.
Make “help” phrases a house habit. Agree that when something is not understood, your child tries “I don’t understand” or “can you repeat that?” in the language first. Practise by saying something silly and fast on purpose.
Agree or disagree. Read out a mix of positive and negative opinions, such as “I like dogs” and “I don’t like spiders”. Your child answers with the correct phrase for agreeing or disagreeing and says why.
Teach the grown-up. Let your child teach you the phrases they know for opinions and asking for help. You can make plenty of deliberate mistakes for them to correct. Correcting someone else is a good test of understanding.