This deep dive covers Les matières scolaires — School subjects within Education and work for GCSE French. Revise Education and work in Theme 1: People and Lifestyle for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 2 of 4 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Les matières scolaires — School subjects
Learn both the French name and its gender (most are masculine, but there are important exceptions).
| French | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| le français | French | masc |
| les maths (f pl) | Maths | fem pl |
| l'histoire-géo (f) | History and Geography | fem |
| les sciences (f pl) | Science(s) | fem pl |
| l'anglais (m) | English | masc |
| la musique | Music | fem |
| le dessin / les arts plastiques | Art / Fine arts | masc / masc pl |
| l'EPS (f) — l'éducation physique et sportive | PE | fem |
| l'informatique (f) | Computing / ICT | fem |
| la technologie | Technology / Design & Technology | fem |
| la chimie / la biologie / la physique | Chemistry / Biology / Physics | fem |
| les langues vivantes (f pl) | Modern languages | fem pl |
L'école — School places and people
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le collège | secondary school (11–15, up to Year 10) |
| le lycée | sixth-form / upper secondary (15–18) |
| la cantine | school canteen / dinner hall |
| la récré(ation) | break time |
| le CDI (Centre de Documentation et d'Information) | school library / resource centre |
| le proviseur / la directrice | headteacher (m/f) |
| le/la prof(esseur) | teacher |
| le brevet | French national exam at 15 (equivalent of GCSEs) |
| le baccalauréat (le bac) | French A-level equivalent, taken at 18 |
Opinions on school — Essential phrases
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'aime / Je n'aime pas... | I like / I don't like... |
| Je trouve ça intéressant(e) / ennuyeux(-euse) | I find it interesting / boring |
| Je trouve ça utile / inutile | I find it useful / useless |
| Je trouve ça difficile / facile | I find it difficult / easy |
| Je suis fort(e) / nul(le) en... | I am good / rubbish at... |
| Mon/ma prof est sympa / sévère / strict(e) | My teacher is nice / tough / strict |
| Mon/ma prof explique bien / mal | My teacher explains things well / badly |
| La matière qui me passionne, c'est... | The subject I'm passionate about is... |
Ma matière préférée, c'est l'histoire-géo parce que je trouve ça très intéressant et mon prof explique bien. Par contre, je suis nul en maths — je les trouve trop difficiles.
My favourite subject is History and Geography because I find it very interesting and my teacher explains things well. On the other hand, I am rubbish at Maths — I find it too difficult.
- Ma matière préférée, c'est... — emphatic structure with dislocation: more natural than ma matière préférée est
- Par contre — contrast connective: earns AO2 marks for coherent sequencing
- nul en maths — idiomatic phrase with elision: note nul not nuls (agrees with je, singular)
- je les trouve — pronoun replacement of les maths: shows grammatical range
L'avenir — Future plans and careers
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je voudrais être... | I would like to be... |
| Je vais faire des études de... | I am going to study... |
| Mon métier idéal serait... | My ideal job would be... |
| Je vais aller à l'université | I am going to go to university |
| Je préfère faire un apprentissage | I prefer to do an apprenticeship |
| travailler dans... | to work in... |
| gagner de l'argent | to earn money |
| aider les autres | to help others |
Les métiers — Jobs vocabulary
| Masculine form | Feminine form | English |
|---|---|---|
| médecin | médecin (invariable) | doctor |
| infirmier | infirmière | nurse |
| professeur / prof | professeure / prof | teacher |
| acteur | actrice | actor / actress |
| chanteur | chanteuse | singer |
| ingénieur | ingénieure | engineer |
| avocat | avocate | lawyer |
| chef cuisinier | cheffe cuisinière | chef |
| journaliste | journaliste (invariable) | journalist |
| informaticien | informaticienne | IT specialist / programmer |
| vétérinaire | vétérinaire (invariable) | vet |
Je voudrais être médecin parce que j'aime aider les autres. Pour atteindre cet objectif, je vais faire des études de médecine à l'université.
I would like to be a doctor because I like helping others. To achieve this goal, I am going to study medicine at university.
- être médecin — in French, NO article before a job: je voudrais être médecin NOT être un médecin
- pour atteindre cet objectif — purpose + demonstrative: AO3 complexity marker
- je vais faire des études de — near future tense: shows time frame awareness
Même si les études peuvent être longues et coûteuses, il est essentiel d'investir dans sa formation professionnelle afin de réaliser ses ambitions et contribuer positivement à la société.
Even if studies can be long and expensive, it is essential to invest in your professional training in order to achieve your ambitions and contribute positively to society.
- Même si — concessive clause: introduces a counter-argument before the main point
- afin de + infinitif — formal purpose connector: distinguishes Higher writing from Foundation
- contribuer positivement à la société — abstract argument: exactly the kind of content examiners reward in Band 4 writing
⭐ No article with jobs in French
After être, devenir, rester, and similar verbs, French drops the article before a job title: Je veux être infirmière (NOT être une infirmière). This is different from English — "I want to be A nurse." This rule applies even when you add an adjective: je voudrais être un bon médecin — the adjective brings the article back. Without adjective = no article.
Practice questions for Education and work
What does 'le collège' mean in English?
A French student says: 'Je fais un stage cette semaine.' What are they doing?