Meeting other parents at school: The first encounter at pickup or drop-off
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Key Phrases
Vous venez chercher votre enfant ?
Are you here to pick up your child?
C'est notre première semaine ici.
It's our first week here.
C'est normal au début.
That's normal at first.
Skills You'll Learn
Introduce yourself and say your name in a school setting.
Se présenter et dire son nom dans un contexte scolaire.
Ask and answer simple questions about children, class level, and school routines.
Poser et répondre à des questions simples sur les enfants, le niveau de classe et la routine scolaire.
Express reassurance and talk about how a child feels when starting school.
Exprimer du réconfort et parler du ressenti d'un enfant au début de l'école.
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you’re at the school pickup area in France, meeting another parent for the first time and having a friendly conversation about your children starting school.
Bonjour, vous venez chercher votre enfant ?
Hello, are you here to pick up your child?
Oui, ma fille est dans la classe de CE1.
Yes, my daughter is in second grade.
Ah, mon fils aussi. C'est notre première semaine ici.
Oh, my son too. It's our first week here.
Bienvenue ! Nous, on est à l'école depuis deux ans.
Welcome! We've been at the school for two years.
Je m'appelle Emily Smith , enchanté.
My name is Emily Smith, nice to meet you.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Bonjour
bohn-ZHOOR
Hello
💬 The all-purpose French greeting. Pronounced roughly bon-zhoor.
🇫🇷 Perfect at school pickup or drop-off. In France, starting with Bonjour is considered basic politeness.
See breakdown →Vous venez
voo vuh-NAY
You are coming
💬 Vous is the polite/plural 'you.' In parent small talk, it sounds natural and respectful.
🇫🇷 Adults who do not know each other usually start with vous, not tu.
See breakdown →Chercher
sher-SHAY
To pick up
💬 Literally 'to look for,' but in context venir chercher often means 'to come pick up.' Handy school phrase!
🇫🇷 At school gates, parents often talk about venir chercher les enfants rather than just prendre.
See breakdown →Votre enfant
VOH-tr ahn-FAHN
Your child
💬 Votre means 'your' in polite or plural form. Enfant can mean either son or daughter.
🇫🇷 Useful when you do not yet know the child's name or gender.
See breakdown →Vous venez chercher votre enfant ?
voo vuh-NAY sher-SHAY VOH-tr ahn-FAHN
Are you here to pick up your child?
💬 A very natural yes/no question in spoken French: just raise your intonation at the end.
🇫🇷 This is a friendly opener at the school gate, especially when recognizing another waiting parent.
See breakdown →Oui
wee
Yes
💬 Short, simple, essential. Pronounced wee.
🇫🇷 Often followed by a little smile or a short explanation in casual parent conversations.
See breakdown →Ma fille
mah feey
My daughter
💬 Ma is 'my' before a feminine noun. Fille means 'daughter' here, not just 'girl.'
🇫🇷 French parents often identify themselves through their child first when meeting at school.
See breakdown →Est
eh
Is
💬 From the verb être, 'to be.' Tiny word, big job.
🇫🇷 You will hear être constantly in introductions and school-related small talk.
See breakdown →Dans la classe de CE1
dahn lah klahs duh say-uhn
In second grade class
💬 CE1 is a French primary school level, roughly equivalent to second grade.
🇫🇷 French school years often use labels like CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2 rather than grade numbers.
See breakdown →Learn this vocabulary list the easy way
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