School situations with classmates and teachers (Advanced): Common vocab and phrases

🇫🇷 Use Salut with classmates and friends, never with a teacher. It also works as "bye".

💬 The s in cours is silent and isn't a plural. It's le cours for one lesson and les cours for several, and both sound the same.

💬 The h in cahier is silent and the r at the end isn't pronounced: (kah-yay).

🇫🇷 A stylo usually means a ballpoint. French pupils often write with a refillable fountain pen, a stylo plume "fountain pen".

💬 In commands to more than one person, French often uses the same vous form as polite singular: Ouvrez. You will hear this a lot from teachers giving whole-class instructions.

💬 Allez is the polite or plural command form of "go", ending in (-ay). To a single friend it becomes Va "go".

💬 In French the number comes after the noun, just like "page ten" in English. The same goes for la leçon trois "lesson three".

💬 French uses "go to" a page where English says "turn to". Swap the place to reuse it: Allez au tableau "Go to the board".

💬 Emprunter is borrowing, taking something from someone. The giving side is a different verb, prêter "to lend".

💬 Je peux plus a basic verb is an easy way to ask permission. For example, Je peux sortir ? "Can I go out?"

💬 Ton is the "your" you use with someone you call tu. With a teacher it becomes votre cahier.

💬 Me "to me" goes before the verb, not after it as in English. You can swap in prêter ton stylo the same way.

💬 Devoirs is always plural when it means homework. On its own, un devoir means a single assignment or a duty.

💬 A question can be a plain statement with your voice rising at the end, with no word swap needed. Tu as fait les devoirs. is a statement, and saying it with a rise makes it the question.

💬 J' is je squeezed before a vowel and can't stand alone. Here it joins ai, so it sounds like one word: (zhay).

🇫🇷 In class, students raise a hand and wait to be called on before saying this. A more polite version for a teacher is J'ai une question, s'il vous plaît.

💬 Vous pouvez is the polite form for a teacher. With a classmate, switch to Tu peux répéter ?

💬 S'il vous plaît is the polite form. With friends you use s'il te plaît.

🇫🇷 Asking a teacher to repeat is completely normal in France. Using vous plus s'il vous plaît keeps it respectful.

💬 On is the everyday word for "people in general" or "we", and it takes the same verb form as il. That's why the verb here is dit.

💬 Languages don't take a capital letter in French. It's en français, with the same pattern for en anglais "in English".

🇫🇷 Teachers usually welcome this question from foreign students. Pointing at the object while you ask is perfectly fine.

💬 Aux is à plus les merged into one word. Toilettes is always plural in this phrase.

🇫🇷 In French schools pupils are expected to ask permission like this. Many teachers prefer that you go during the break if you can.

💬 Women write désolée with an extra e, but it sounds the same. To apologise for being late, add d'être en retard "for being late".

💬 En retard means late as in behind schedule, for people or trains. Don't confuse it with tard "late in the day", as in Il est tard "It's late".

💬 Désolé takes an extra e when a woman says it: Désolée. It sounds exactly the same, so it only matters in writing.

🇫🇷 Walking in late, a quick Désolé to the teacher is expected, then you sit down quietly. A long excuse in front of the class is unusual.

💬 Contrôle looks like "control" but at school it means a test or quiz. Contrôler "to check" keeps that checking sense.

💬 Le shrinks to l' before a vowel sound, so it's l'examen, said as one word (lex-ah-man).

💬 Note means grade here, not a written note. For a note you write down, French also uses note, so context decides.

🇫🇷 French schools usually grade out of 20, and a 12 or 14 is a solid result. Near-perfect scores are rare, so don't read a 15 as mediocre.

💬 On a means "we have" in everyday speech, replacing the more formal nous avons. Swap the noun to reuse it: On a cours demain "We have class tomorrow".

💬 Bonne is the feminine form of bon, matching la note. With a masculine noun it's un bon livre "a good book".

💬 Eu is the past form of avoir "to have", so J'ai eu means "I got" or "I had". It's said as a single vowel sound, roughly (oo) with rounded lips, with no e sound.

💬 S'il vous plaît is the polite "please" for a group or a stranger. Between friends it becomes s'il te plaît.

🇫🇷 Teachers address the whole class with vous, so this is a standard classroom call. It's firm but not rude.

💬 Instructions to a group end in -ez: Écoutez, Regardez "Look", Répétez "Repeat". The z is silent, so it sounds like (ay).

💬 À deux means "in twos", and the pattern works with any number: à trois "in threes", à quatre "in fours".

💬 Everyone shortens it to la récré in speech.

🇫🇷 Récréation is the word for younger pupils. University students would say la pause "the break" instead.

🇫🇷 French school canteens serve a sit-down hot meal, often with a starter and dessert. Lunch is a real break, not a quick sandwich.

💬 Raising your voice at the end turns On mange ensemble into a question, with no other change needed. It works with other plans too: On y va ? "Shall we go?"

💬 Word by word this is "the use of time", so don't try to translate it piece by piece. The p in temps is silent, so it ends in a plain (tahn) sound.

💬 Cours keeps its s even for one class, so un cours and des cours are spelled the same. The s is silent either way.

💬 In casual speech the question word quel can stay where the answer would go, as in On a quel cours ?. More formal French puts it first: Quel cours avons-nous ?

💬 À plus a time makes a quick goodbye: À lundi ! "See you Monday!", À plus ! "See you later!"