Key points about talking about school subjects
Use a range of positive and negative An adjective is a word that describes a noun. In French, adjectives have different endings depending on whether the noun they are describing is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. to give your opinion on school subjects.
The Means 'the'. Definite articles change depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. in French depends on the All French nouns are either masculine or feminine. In French, objects such as a table or car, as well as people, have a grammatical gender. and number of the noun and the letter it starts with.
The key A word used to describe an action or state of being. apprendre can be used in different The tense of a verb shows when the action took place. Present, future and perfect are all tenses. to talk about what you have learnt, what you are learning now and what you are going to learn.
Vocabulary - School subjects
The French for 'school subjects' is les matières (feminine, plural).
Useful words for subjects you may be studying include:
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (m) | business | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | geography |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (m) | German | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (f) | history |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (m) | English | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (f) | computer science, computing |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | biology | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (f) | citizenship |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | chemistry | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (f, pl) / Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (f, pl) | mathematics/maths |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | dance | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | music |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (f, pl) | PE | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | physics |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Spanish | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | technology |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | theatre, drama | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | French |
Giving opinions on subjects and teachers
These four A word used to describe an action or state of being. are useful to give your opinion on any topic:
J’adore – I love
J’aime – I like
Je n’aime pas – I don’t like
Je déteste – I hate
Use positive and negative An adjective is a word that describes a noun. In French, adjectives have different endings depending on whether the noun they are describing is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. to give opinions of your school subjects or teachers.
Positive adjectives
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| amusant(e) | funny, fun, enjoyable, amusing | pratique | practical |
| excellent(e) | excellent | simple | simple |
| facile | easy | génial(e) | great, brilliant |
| sympathique (sympa) | nice, kind, friendly | intéressant(e) | interesting |
| utile | useful | ionnant(e) | exciting, thrilling |
Negative adjectives
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| affreux / affreuse | dreadful, awful, horrible | inutile | useless |
| difficile | difficult | nul / nulle | rubbish |
| dur(e) | hard | strict(e) | strict |
| embêtant(e) | annoying | terrible | terrible, dreadful |
| ennuyeux / ennuyeuse | boring |
To describe your subjects or teachers, make sure the adjectives agree with the noun. For example:
L’histoire est ionnante. - History is exciting.
Les profs dans mon collège sont stricts. - The teachers in my school are strict.
To find out more about adjectival agreements have a look at the Gender and number agreement of adjectives in French guide.
After c’est (it is), always use the All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine., form of the adjective, even when describing something All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine.. For example:
Ma matière préférée, c’est la technologie parce que c’est intéressant. - My favourite subject is technology because it’s interesting.
Grammar - How to use the definite article
The Means 'the'. Definite articles change depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. is ‘the’ in English and le, la, l’ or les in French.
Knowing which one of these to use depends on the following:
the All French nouns are either masculine or feminine. In French, objects such as a table or car, as well as people, have a grammatical gender. of the The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words.
whether the noun starts with a vowel or h muet (silent h)
whether the noun is singular or plural
| masculine | feminine | singular noun starting with a vowel/silent h | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| le | la | l' | les |
There are a number of situations in French when the definite article is often needed where it is not used in English.
Click or tap on Show more to find out more about when to use the definite article in French.
1. Expressions of liking, disliking and preferring
For example:
J’aime le sport. – I like sport.
Je préfère les sciences. – I prefer science.
2. Expressing a generality
For example:
Les profs parlent trop. – Teachers (in general) talk too much.
3. With school subjects and languages
For example:
J’étudie la danse. – I study dance.
Je voudrais apprendre l’espagnol. – I would like to learn Spanish.
4. With countries
For example:
On va visiter la Suisse. – We are going to visit Switzerland.
5. With parts of the body
For example:
J’ai les yeux bleus. – I have blue eyes.
6. In time phrases
For example:
le weekend dernier – last weekend
le lundi – on Mondays / every Monday
7. When turning an adjective into a noun
For example:
seul (alone, only, lonely) becomes le seul (the only one)
français (French, nationality) becomes le français (French language / school subject) or les Français (the French people)
Using definite articles - Mini quiz
Choose the correct definite article to complete each of the following sentences.
Click or tap on Start to begin the activity.
Find out more about when to use the definite article in the Definite and indefinite articles in French guide.
Listening practice
Listen to these students talking about their lessons on the way to school. Decide whether they like the subject or not and write down one reason for their opinion.
Write your answers in English.
Student 1
Answer - The student dislikes geography because it is rubbish.
Je déteste la géographie. À mon avis, c’est nul ! - I hate geography. In my opinion, it’s rubbish!
Student 2
Answer - The student likes maths because the teacher is nice.
Moi, j’aime beaucoup les maths parce que la prof est très sympa. - I really like maths because the teacher is very nice.
Student 3
Answer - The student likes English as it is really easy and fun.
Ma matière préférée, c’est l’anglais. Je pense que c’est vraiment facile et amusant. - My favourite subject is English. I think it’s really easy and fun.
Student 4
Answer - The student does not like German as it is boring and not useful.
Cette année, je n’aime pas trop l’allemand. C’est ennuyeux et ce n’est pas utile pour moi. - This year, I don’t like German much. It’s boring and it isn’t useful for me.
Vocabulary - Talking about school activities
Useful phrases to talk about what you learn about and do in school include:
| aller à la bibliothèque | to go to the library | faire du travail de groupe | to do some group work |
| apprendre une chanson | to learn a song | faire ses devoirs | to do one's homework |
| avoir beaucoup de devoirs | to have a lot of homework | jouer aux jeux (d’équipe) | to play (team) games |
| corriger ses fautes | to correct ones mistakes | jouer dans un match de foot | to play in a football match |
| discuter de … | to discuss … | lire un roman / un texte / un article | to read a novel / a text / an article |
| écrire un blog | to write a blog | manger à la cantine | to eat in the canteen |
| étudier une pièce | to study a play | recevoir de bonnes/mauvaises notes en … | to get good/bad marks in … |
| faire des efforts | to make an effort | regarder une vidéo sur … | to watch a video about … |
For example:
On a toujours beaucoup de devoirs. We always have a lot of homework.
Je fais des efforts pour réviser. I make an effort to revise.
Normalement, nous mangeons à la cantine. Normally we eat in the canteen.
Use these phrases in different The tense of a verb shows when the action took place. Present, future and perfect are all tenses. to say what you did in the past, what you normally do and what you are going to do at school.
For example:
Hier, j’ai reçu de bonnes notes pour un examen de théâtre. - Yesterday I got good marks for a drama exam.
Normalement, je fais mes devoirs pendant la récré. - I normally do my homework at break.
La semaine prochaine, on va discuter de l’environnement. - Next week, we are going to discuss the environment.
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Grammar - Key verb 'apprendre' - to learn
The verb apprendre (to learn) is a key irregular re verb:
| Conjugated verb form | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I learn |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you learn (singular, informal) |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he/it learns |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | she/it learns |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | one learns/we learn |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | we learn |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you learn (singular formal or plural) |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | they learn (masculine or mixed) |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | they learn (feminine) |
The verb apprendre can also be used in different The tense of a verb shows when the action took place. Present, future and perfect are all tenses.:
| Tense | Verb in the je form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect tense | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I learned / I have learnt |
| Imperfect tense | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I used to learn / I was learning |
| Conditional tense | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I would like to learn |
| Near future tense | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I am going to learn |
Other useful verbs that follow the same pattern as apprendre are prendre (to take) and comprendre (to understand).
For example:
Tu comprends la leçon? – Do you understand the lesson?
Ils prennent des cours de piano. – They take piano lessons.
The verb 'apprendre' - Mini quiz
Choose the correct forms of the verb apprendre. Press Start to begin the quiz.
Reading practice
Some French-speaking students have posted about their school activities in an online forum.
For each person, write down the school activity they are talking about. Write your answer in English.
Then decide what tense each person is talking in. Write down:
P if it’s a past activity
N for an activity they do now
F for an activity they are going to do in the future
- Jean-Pierre
Hier, nous avons joué aux jeux dans notre cours de français. C’était super!
Activity - Played games in French lesson
Tense - P
Translation
Yesterday we played cards in our French lesson. It was brilliant.
- Mahmoud
Le jeudi, après le collège, je vais à un club de sports. C’est très actif et amusant.
Activity - Goes to a sports club after school
Tense - N
Translation
On Thursdays, I go to a sports club after school. It's really active and fun.
- Clémentine
Chaque semaine, j’écris un blog pour le site internet du collège. Normalement, je le fais avec ma copine.
Activity - Writes a blog for the school website
Tense - N
Translation
Each week I write a blog for the school website. I usually do it with my friend.
- Essie
L’année prochaine, on va étudier une pièce en théâtre. Je voudrais être actrice donc c’est parfait pour moi !
Activity - Study a play in drama
Tense - F
Translation
Next year we are going to study a play in drama. I'd like to be an actor so it is perfect for me.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Foundation Tier vocabulary to use when talking about school subjects.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary - School
Useful Higher Tier vocabulary includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| les études religieuses (f, pl) | religious studies |
| écrire un poème | to write a poem |
| faire des recherches | to do some research |
All Higher Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher Tier - Grammar - When to use or omit the definite article
Use the definite article with dans (in). For example:
La prof est déjà dans la salle de classe. – The teacher is already in the classroom.
Omit the definite article with en in expressions including je suis fort en / faible en …. For example:
Je suis faible en maths mais je suis forte en langues. – I am weak in maths but strong in languages.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Higher Tier vocabulary to use when talking about school subjects.
Now you have learned about talking about school subjects why not look at the Talking about school rules guide.
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