Classroom instructions in French use the imperative. To the whole class, with vous: Écoutez !, Regardez le tableau !, Ouvrez vos cahiers !, Asseyez-vous ! To one pupil, with tu: Écoute !, Regarde !, Ouvre ton cahier !, Assieds-toi ! Pupils ask Je peux aller aux toilettes, s’il vous plaît ?, Comment dit-on… ? and say Je ne comprends pas.
Vous or tu?
- The whole class: vous. Écoutez. Ouvrez vos livres. Asseyez-vous.
- One pupil: tu. Écoute. Ouvre ton livre. Assieds-toi.
- Pupils to the teacher: vous. Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ?
In France, teachers generally say tu to an individual pupil and vous to the class; some upper-secondary teachers say vous even to individuals. Pupils always say vous to teachers and call them Madame or Monsieur, without the surname. In primary school, children say maîtresse or maître.
Note that the possessive changes with the pronoun: vos cahiers with vous, ton cahier with tu.
Teacher instructions
| To the class (vous) | To one pupil (tu) | English |
|---|---|---|
| Écoutez. | Écoute. | Listen. |
| Regardez le tableau. | Regarde le tableau. | Look at the board. |
| Répétez. | Répète. | Repeat. |
| Ouvrez vos livres. | Ouvre ton livre. | Open your books. |
| Fermez vos livres. | Ferme ton livre. | Close your books. |
| Sortez vos cahiers. | Sors ton cahier. | Get your exercise books out. |
| Rangez vos affaires. | Range tes affaires. | Put your things away. |
| Lisez. | Lis. | Read. |
| Écrivez la date. | Écris la date. | Write the date. |
| Levez la main. | Lève la main. | Put your hand up. |
| Asseyez-vous. | Assieds-toi. | Sit down. |
| Levez-vous. | Lève-toi. | Stand up. |
| Travaillez à deux. | Travaille avec ton voisin. | Work in pairs. |
| Venez au tableau. | Viens au tableau. | Come to the board. |
| Faites attention. | Fais attention. | Pay attention. |
| Silence, s’il vous plaît. | Chut ! | Quiet, please. |
Exercise instructions, usually written with vous: complétez (fill in), reliez (match), soulignez (underline), entourez (circle), cochez (tick), recopiez (copy out), répondez aux questions (answer the questions), traduisez (translate).
For feedback: Très bien !, Excellent !, Bravo !, Presque ! (nearly), Encore une fois (again), Plus fort (louder). Taisez-vous ! (be quiet) exists but sounds sharp: Silence, s’il vous plaît is kinder.
How the imperative works
- Take the present tense and drop the pronoun. vous écoutez → Écoutez !, tu lis → Lis !, tu prends → Prends !
- -er verbs lose the s with tu. tu écoutes → Écoute !, tu regardes → Regarde !, and also tu ouvres → Ouvre ! The s comes back only before y or en: Vas-y !
- Four irregular verbs. être: sois, soyez; avoir: aie, ayez; savoir: sache, sachez; vouloir: veuillez (as in veuillez vous asseoir, very formal).
- Reflexive verbs: pronoun after, with a hyphen. Asseyez-vous, Levez-vous; with tu, te becomes toi: Lève-toi, Assieds-toi (Assois-toi is also correct).
- Negative commands frame the verb. Ne parlez pas. Ne touche pas. With reflexives, the pronoun goes back in front: Ne vous levez pas.
At KS2 and early KS3, pupils can learn the commands as fixed phrases; the rules make sense later, when the imperative comes up in the course.
Pupil phrases
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je peux aller aux toilettes, s’il vous plaît ? | Can I go to the toilet, please? |
| Comment dit-on « ruler » en français ? | How do you say “ruler” in French? |
| Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ? | What does that mean? |
| Que veut dire « cahier » ? | What does “cahier” mean? |
| Je ne comprends pas. | I don’t understand. |
| Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ? | Can you repeat, please? |
| Plus lentement, s’il vous plaît. | More slowly, please. |
| Comment ça s’écrit ? | How do you spell it? |
| C’est à quelle page ? | What page is it? |
| J’ai une question. | I have a question. |
| J’ai fini. | I’ve finished. |
| J’ai oublié mon cahier. | I’ve forgotten my exercise book. |
| Je n’ai pas de stylo. | I haven’t got a pen. |
| Tu peux me prêter une règle ? | Can you lend me a ruler? (to a classmate) |
| Pardon, je suis en retard. | Sorry I’m late. |
| C’est mon tour ? | Is it my turn? |
Three levels of politeness for the same request: Je peux aller aux toilettes ? (everyday), Est-ce que je peux aller aux toilettes ? (neutral), Puis-je aller aux toilettes ? (formal and rather literary). All three are correct; the second is a safe target for KS3.
Pronunciation: the -ez ending sounds like “ay”: écoutez is “ay-koo-TAY”. S’il vous plaît is “seel-voo-PLEH”. Toilettes is always plural: aux toilettes, “oh-twa-LET”. In written French, put a space before ? and !
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- “Écoutes !”: no s on the tu form of -er verbs.
- “Asseyez-toi” or “Assieds-vous”: keep the pronoun consistent.
- “Je peux aller à la toilette ?”: in France it is plural, aux toilettes. (La toilette means washing yourself; in Belgium, though, la toilette can mean the loo.)
- “Je ne comprends” without pas: Je ne comprends pas.
- “Je suis fini”: that means “I’m done for”. Say J’ai fini.
- “Madame Smith”: in France, Madame alone is the polite form; a surname-based UK convention is fine in your classroom, as long as pupils say vous.
In class: building a target-language classroom
Classroom language is the French pupils hear most often, so install it deliberately rather than hoping it sticks.
- Start with ten to twelve core phrases: five instructions, five pupil requests. Display them on the wall with a picture for each.
- Give each instruction a gesture: a hand behind the ear for écoutez, opening hands for ouvrez vos livres.
- Add one phrase a week and make it the phrase of the week.
- Expect requests in French: Je peux aller aux toilettes ? is the most motivating sentence in any language.
- Hand over the role: a pupil gives the instructions at the start of the lesson, or leads a round of Jacques a dit, the French Simon Says.
Keep English for safeguarding, for anything that must be understood with certainty, and for brief explanations. The aim is not an English-free lesson but a room where French is the natural language of routine.
Adapting to your class
- A1Understand and follow ten instructions; ask to go to the toilet in French.
- A2Use all the pupil phrases unprompted, with s’il vous plaît and merci.
- B1Give instructions to the class with vous: a pupil runs the starter.
- B2Negotiate politely: Est-ce qu’on pourrait travailler en groupes ? Vous pourriez nous donner plus de temps ?
At KS2, the commands are best learnt through songs and games. At KS3, make pupil requests in French a class expectation. At GCSE, classroom French becomes the vehicle for discussing tasks, opinions and school life.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "Can I go to the toilet?" in French?
Je peux aller aux toilettes, s’il vous plaît ? More formally: Est-ce que je peux aller aux toilettes ? or Puis-je aller aux toilettes ?
What is the difference between écoute and écoutez?
Écoute is to one person you call tu; écoutez is to several people, or to one person you call vous.
How do you say "sit down" in French?
Asseyez-vous to the class or formally, Assieds-toi (or Assois-toi) to one pupil.
How do you say "I don't understand" in French?
Je ne comprends pas. In quick speech the ne often disappears: “J’comprends pas”.
How do French pupils address their teachers?
With vous and Madame or Monsieur, without the surname. In primary school, maîtresse or maître.