In the classroom

In a classroom, a teacher talks about books, notebooks, paper, the board, and other materials while directing the class to read, write, listen, repeat, or work together.

Students also need language for asking a teacher to repeat something, checking the meaning or spelling of a word, and asking a question.

Teachers, students, and classmates

French uses masculine and feminine forms for different people you'll encounter in the classroom, while élève has the same form for any student:

Prof is a common informal shortening of professeur or professeure.

Objects and materials

These nouns identify materials and equipment that a teacher may ask students to take out, open, write in, or use:

Livre is a word for books in general. A manuel is a textbook used for a subject or course. A cahier is a notebook or exercise book that students write in.

In a classroom, bureau refers to a desk. The same word can refer to an office in another context.

Instructions from the teacher

Teachers use these directions to organize common classroom activities and tell students what to do:

When a teacher addresses the whole class, the instruction commonly uses the vous verb form.

Pairs, groups, and turns

Teachers use these phrases to organize where students work, how they work, or whose turn it is:

À deux specifies two people working in pairs. En groupe refers to working in a group, but does not specify how many people are in the group.

The page number changes after à la page.

Questions and responses from students

A student may need to ask for repetition, spelling, meaning, permission, or a missing material:

From learning to practice

During a French lesson or video tutorial, listen for the action at the beginning of an instruction and the classroom word that follows. Keep track of directions that recur until you recognize the whole instruction without translating each word.