The basic classroom objects in French are le stylo (pen), le crayon (pencil), la gomme (rubber), la règle (ruler), le taille-crayon (sharpener), les ciseaux (scissors), la colle (glue), le cahier (exercise book), la trousse (pencil case) and le cartable (school bag). School supplies as a whole are les fournitures scolaires.
Classroom objects in French
In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the syllable to lean on slightly (French stress is light and falls on the last syllable). (n) marks a nasal vowel: air goes through the nose and the n itself is not pronounced. “zh” is the s in “measure”, “uh” is the short vowel in “the”, and “ü” is “ee” said with rounded lips.
In the pencil case
| French | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| la trousse | pencil case | trooss |
| le stylo | pen | stee-LOH |
| le stylo plume | fountain pen | stee-loh PLÜM |
| le crayon | pencil | kreh-YO(N) |
| les crayons de couleur | colouring pencils | kreh-yo(n) duh koo-LUR |
| le feutre | felt-tip pen | FUH-truh |
| le surligneur | highlighter | sür-lee-NYUR |
| la gomme | rubber, eraser | gom |
| le taille-crayon | pencil sharpener | tie-kreh-YO(N) |
| la règle | ruler | REH-gluh |
| les ciseaux (m.) | scissors | see-ZOH |
| la colle | glue | kol |
| la calculatrice | calculator | kal-kü-la-TREESS |
| le compas | compasses | ko(n)-PAH |
In the classroom and the school bag
| French | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| le cartable | school bag | kar-TA-bluh |
| le sac à dos | rucksack | sak a DOH |
| le cahier | exercise book | ka-YAY |
| le classeur | ring binder | kla-SUR |
| la feuille | sheet of paper | fuhy |
| le livre | book | LEE-vruh |
| le dictionnaire | dictionary | deek-syo-NAIR |
| l’agenda (m.) | homework diary | la-zha(n)-DA |
| le tableau | board | ta-BLOH |
| la craie | chalk | kreh |
| la chaise | chair | shez |
| la table | table, desk | TA-bluh |
| l’ordinateur (m.) | computer | lor-dee-na-TUR |
The p of compas and the s are silent. French primary pupils traditionally write with a fountain pen, so le stylo plume and its cartridges (les cartouches) are on many school lists.
Grammar you need with classroom objects
- Scissors are plural. les ciseaux, une paire de ciseaux: Tu as des ciseaux ?
- Negative: pas de. J’ai une règle but Je n’ai pas de règle, Je n’ai pas d’agenda.
- Colours agree and follow the noun. un stylo bleu, une règle verte, des crayons noirs. Orange and marron do not change: une trousse orange, des feutres marron.
- Compound nouns. un taille-crayon, des taille-crayons; un sac à dos, des sacs à dos.
- Emprunter and prêter. You emprunter (borrow) from someone; they prêter (lend) to you: Tu me prêtes ta gomme ?
Asking and apologising
Tu peux me prêter un crayon, s’il te plaît ?Can you lend me a pencil, please?
Tu as une gomme ?Have you got a rubber?
J’ai oublié mon cahier.I’ve forgotten my exercise book.
Je n’ai pas de stylo, madame.I haven’t got a pen, Miss.
Dans ma trousse, il y a deux stylos, un crayon et une gomme.In my pencil case there are two pens, a pencil and a rubber.
Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec
| France | Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec | English |
|---|---|---|
| la trousse | le plumier (Belgium, Switzerland), l’étui à crayons (Quebec) | pencil case |
| le classeur | la farde (Belgium), le cartable (Quebec) | ring binder |
| la gomme | l’efface (f., Quebec) | rubber |
| l’agrafeuse (f.) | la brocheuse (Quebec) | stapler |
| le stylo (à bille) | le bic (Belgium; also informal in France) | ballpoint pen |
False friends and idioms
- Le crayon is a pencil.
- La chemise is a card folder at school, as well as a shirt.
- La librairie is a bookshop; the library is la bibliothèque.
- L’agenda is a diary, not a meeting agenda (l’ordre du jour).
- Une copie is a pupil’s written work handed in, not only a copy.
| French | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mettre les points sur les i | to put the dots on the i’s | to spell it out |
| noir sur blanc | black on white | in black and white, in writing |
| passer l’éponge | to pass the sponge | to wipe the slate clean |
| réglé comme du papier à musique | ruled like music paper | like clockwork |
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- Crayon for crayon: it is a pencil.
- “Un ciseau” for scissors: un ciseau is a chisel; scissors are des ciseaux.
- “Je n’ai pas un stylo”: after the negative, pas de stylo.
- “Tu peux m’emprunter ton stylo ?”: you borrow, they lend: Tu peux me prêter ton stylo ?
- Sounding silent letters: the p and s of compas, the x of ciseaux.
- “Des feutres marrons”: marron does not take an s.
In class: classroom objects as a word of the day
Every word is already in the room: pupils can hold up the real object as soon as they hear it.
- Show the picture (a ruler) and the English word: “ruler”.
- Ask Comment dit-on “ruler” en français ? Pupils write their guess on mini whiteboards.
- Reveal la règle with its pronunciation. The class repeats it, then two pupils alone. Point out the accent and the silent final e.
- Show the example sentence: Tu peux me prêter ta règle, s’il te plaît ?
- Give the reuse task: pupils ask a partner to lend them the object; the partner answers Oui, tiens ! or Désolé, je n’en ai pas.
- Recall yesterday’s word: say it, and every pupil holds up the object.
That is exactly what a daily routine does: one word a day, in a sentence pupils will need again that same lesson.
Games with real objects
A Kim’s game: six objects under the visualiser, hide them, remove one and ask Qu’est-ce qui manque ? Pupils answer Il manque la gomme. For a quick A1 check: Levez le crayon !
- A1The object with its article: C’est un stylo. C’est une règle.
- A2Requests and descriptions: Tu me prêtes ta gomme ? J’ai oublié ma trousse.
- B1Past excuses: Hier, j’ai laissé mon cartable dans le bus.
- B2Opinions: Je trouve qu’il vaudrait mieux écrire à la main qu’à l’ordinateur.
At KS2, real objects and c’est un / c’est une are enough. At KS3, insist on pas de and on polite requests. At GCSE, this vocabulary returns in school life and in excuses in the perfect tense.
The “Le mot” module does it for you
A picture and the word in the pupils’ language: the class works out how to say it, then the word is revealed with its pronunciation and an example sentence to reuse. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "pencil case" in French?
La trousse in France. In Belgium, le plumier; in Quebec, l’étui à crayons or le coffre à crayons. “What’s in your pencil case?” is Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans ta trousse ?
Does crayon mean crayon in French?
No. Un crayon is a pencil. A colouring pencil is un crayon de couleur, and a wax crayon is un crayon de cire or une craie grasse.
How do you ask to borrow a pen in French?
Tu peux me prêter un stylo, s’il te plaît ? to a classmate, or Est-ce que je peux emprunter un stylo, s’il vous plaît ? to the teacher.
What is the plural of taille-crayon?
Des taille-crayons. The first part is a verb (tailler), so only the noun takes the s.
What does cartable mean in Quebec?
In Quebec, un cartable is a ring binder. In France it is a school bag, traditionally a satchel; a ring binder there is un classeur.