Skip to content
    French GCSE

    Suffix patterns

    What Suffix patterns means in French GCSE, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of Suffix patterns

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Suffix patterns in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    The predictable pattern in which the French phonetic termination [œr] is consistently spelled as eur and frequently corresponds to either -or or -er in English.
    AQA · Near-cognates
    The French [sjɔ̃] pattern is commonly written -tion or -sion, while related English words may end in [ʃən] or [ʒən] depending on the word.
    AQA · Near-cognates
    Recognising a consistent pattern allows you to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar adjectives in reading and listening tasks.
    AQA · Near-cognates

    Topics that use Suffix patterns

    Related terms

    Using Suffix patterns in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise French questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All French GCSE terms