Do you need to improve your French school vocabulary? Do you want to learn school subjects in French?
Due to their similarity to their English counterparts, the French names for subjects in the classroom are quite easy to master. This is because the basis for many modern academic disciplines can be traced back to Latin.
The people, places, and things associated with the French educational system are the focus of this guide, as are the words and phrases that describe them.
Check out these articles for more French vocabularies:
Things you'll find in this article
School Subjects In French
Types of schools in the French education system
French schools have different names compared to their English counterparts. The various types of French schools have been translated into English below.
Education Level
- la crèche – day nursery (UK), child care center(US)
- l’école maternelle (f) – kindergarten
- l‘école primaire / le primaire – primary school
- le collège – middle school or junior high
- le lycée – high school
- l‘université – university or college
- l’école supérieure – graduate school
People in School
- Les élèves (m, f) – pupils, students
- Les écoliers (m), les écolières (f) – schoolboys, schoolgirls
- Les collégiens (m), les collégiennes – middle school students
- les lycéens (m), les lycéennes (f) – secondary school pupils or high school students
- Les étudiants (m), les étudiantes (f) – students
- Le professeur (m), la professeur (f), la professeure (f) – teacher
- Le maître (m), la maîtresse (f) – kindergarten or primary teacher
- L’instituteur (m), l’institutrice (f) – primary teacher
Talking About School Subjects in French
French speakers generally use the article le, la, or l’ before the name of a certain subject when speaking about it in a formal context, such as a school setting. So for example:
- j’étudie le français – I’m studying French.
- J’enseigne l’histoire – I teach history.
- Ma matière préférée à l’école est les mathématiques – My favorite subject in school is math.
However, the article is not commonly used:
with the preposition ‘en’
- Il est étudiant spécialisé en géographie – He is a geography major
Along with the compound ‘de’ (prof de…, cours de…),
- c’est mon prof de chimie – He’s my chemistry teacher
or with “quantitive” expressions (peu de…, beaucoup dean..);
- il a étudié beaucoup de français – He’s studied a lot of French
School Subjects In French
Arts in French
Not all schools in France provide this type of education. But some French children spend their after-school hours engaged in creative pursuits. The same can be said for plays and performances.
- l’art – art
- les beaux – arts fine arts
- le dessin – drawing
- les arts décoratifs – applied arts
- les arts du spectacle – performing arts
- la danse – dancing
- le théâtre – theater
Language & Writing in French
All French children are offered the chance to learn a second language. Children choose not only English as their first foreign language but also another language. German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch are typically taught as second languages to French children.
Languages
- la langue vivante – modern languages
- l’anglais – English
- le français – French
- l’allemand – German
- le grec – Greek
- l’italien – Italian
- l’espagnol – Spanish
- les langues étrangères – foreign languages
- les langues mortes – dead languages
- le latin – Latin
- le grec ancien – Ancient Greek
Writing
- la grammaire – grammar
- l’écriture créative – creative writing
- le journalisme – journalism
- la linguistic – language arts
- la littérature – litterature
- la poésie – poetry
Math & Science in French
Math (es mathematics) and science (les sciences) have always been given a significant amount of weight in the French educational system.
Math
- les mathématiques – math
- l’algèbre – algebra
- le calcul infinitésimal – calculus
- la géométrie – geometry
- l’imformatique – computing
- la trigonométrie – trigonometry
Science
- l’enseignement scientifique – general science
- la biologie – biology
- la chimie – chemistry
- laboratoire de chimie – chemistry lab
- les sciences de la Terre – earth science
- la science de la vie – life science
- la chimie organique – organic chemistry
- le sciences physiques – physical science
- la physique – physics
- le travail manuel éducatif (TME) – technology
Physical education
The French government makes it mandatory for all children to participate in physical education sessions. In places other than North America, gym class generally consists of kids playing rugby.
- l’EPS (éducation physique et sportive) – physical educaion (PE)
- la gymnastique – gymnastics
Social studies
Teaching of history and geography is very important in the French educational system. In French, the abbreviation for “History and Geography” is Histoire-Géo. In French history courses, the country of France and its global impact are key topics of study.
- le sciences sociales – social studies
- les sciences humaines – social sciences
- la géographie – geography
- l’histoire – history
- l’histoire – géographie history and geography, humanities
- la politique – politics
- l’instruction religieuse – religious studies
- la psychologie – psychology
- la sociologie – sociology
- l’éducation civique – civics
- la commerce – buisiness
- l’économie (f) – economics
- la philosophie – philosophy
Other
Music is another discipline that is often not taught in French schools, joining the ranks of art and drama. There is a long tradition of independent music schools in France, where children can learn to play instruments and even perform in bands and orchestras.
The same is true for wood shop and home economics courses: they are rarely offered in French educational institutions.
- la musique – music
- le solfège – music theory
- la haute cuisine – culinary arts
- l’éducation ménagère – home economics
- le travail sur bois – woodshop
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries and lived in 4 continents in the last 10 years, including France. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France.