{"id":113,"date":"2026-09-30T18:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/classroom-objects-in-french\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T18:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:33:34","slug":"classroom-objects-in-french","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/classroom-objects-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Classroom objects in French: school supplies, pencil case and a classroom routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Classroom objects in French<\/h2>\n\n

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 “\u00fc” is “ee” said with rounded lips.<\/p>\n\n

In the pencil case<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
la trousse<\/td>pencil case<\/td>trooss<\/td><\/tr>
le stylo<\/td>pen<\/td>stee-LOH<\/td><\/tr>
le stylo plume<\/td>fountain pen<\/td>stee-loh PL\u00dcM<\/td><\/tr>
le crayon<\/td>pencil<\/td>kreh-YO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
les crayons de couleur<\/td>colouring pencils<\/td>kreh-yo(n) duh koo-LUR<\/td><\/tr>
le feutre<\/td>felt-tip pen<\/td>FUH-truh<\/td><\/tr>
le surligneur<\/td>highlighter<\/td>s\u00fcr-lee-NYUR<\/td><\/tr>
la gomme<\/td>rubber, eraser<\/td>gom<\/td><\/tr>
le taille-crayon<\/td>pencil sharpener<\/td>tie-kreh-YO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
la r\u00e8gle<\/td>ruler<\/td>REH-gluh<\/td><\/tr>
les ciseaux (m.)<\/td>scissors<\/td>see-ZOH<\/td><\/tr>
la colle<\/td>glue<\/td>kol<\/td><\/tr>
la calculatrice<\/td>calculator<\/td>kal-k\u00fc-la-TREESS<\/td><\/tr>
le compas<\/td>compasses<\/td>ko(n)-PAH<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

In the classroom and the school bag<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
le cartable<\/td>school bag<\/td>kar-TA-bluh<\/td><\/tr>
le sac \u00e0 dos<\/td>rucksack<\/td>sak a DOH<\/td><\/tr>
le cahier<\/td>exercise book<\/td>ka-YAY<\/td><\/tr>
le classeur<\/td>ring binder<\/td>kla-SUR<\/td><\/tr>
la feuille<\/td>sheet of paper<\/td>fuhy<\/td><\/tr>
le livre<\/td>book<\/td>LEE-vruh<\/td><\/tr>
le dictionnaire<\/td>dictionary<\/td>deek-syo-NAIR<\/td><\/tr>
l’agenda (m.)<\/td>homework diary<\/td>la-zha(n)-DA<\/td><\/tr>
le tableau<\/td>board<\/td>ta-BLOH<\/td><\/tr>
la craie<\/td>chalk<\/td>kreh<\/td><\/tr>
la chaise<\/td>chair<\/td>shez<\/td><\/tr>
la table<\/td>table, desk<\/td>TA-bluh<\/td><\/tr>
l’ordinateur (m.)<\/td>computer<\/td>lor-dee-na-TUR<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

The p of compas<\/span> and the s are silent. French primary pupils traditionally write with a fountain pen, so le stylo plume<\/span> and its cartridges (les cartouches<\/span>) are on many school lists.<\/p>\n\n

Grammar you need with classroom objects<\/h2>\n\n
  1. Scissors are plural.<\/strong> les ciseaux<\/span>, une paire de ciseaux<\/span>: Tu as des ciseaux ?<\/span><\/li>
  2. Negative: pas de.<\/strong> J’ai une r\u00e8gle<\/span> but Je n’ai pas de r\u00e8gle<\/span>, Je n’ai pas d’agenda.<\/span><\/li>
  3. Colours agree and follow the noun.<\/strong> un stylo bleu<\/span>, une r\u00e8gle verte<\/span>, des crayons noirs<\/span>. Orange<\/span> and marron<\/span> do not change: une trousse orange<\/span>, des feutres marron<\/span>.<\/li>
  4. Compound nouns.<\/strong> un taille-crayon<\/span>, des taille-crayons<\/span>; un sac \u00e0 dos<\/span>, des sacs \u00e0 dos<\/span>.<\/li>
  5. Emprunter and pr\u00eater.<\/strong> You emprunter<\/span> (borrow) from someone; they pr\u00eater<\/span> (lend) to you: Tu me pr\u00eates ta gomme ?<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Asking and apologising<\/h3>\n\n

    Tu peux me pr\u00eater un crayon, s’il te pla\u00eet ?<\/span>Can you lend me a pencil, please?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Tu as une gomme ?<\/span>Have you got a rubber?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    J’ai oubli\u00e9 mon cahier.<\/span>I’ve forgotten my exercise book.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Je n’ai pas de stylo, madame.<\/span>I haven’t got a pen, Miss.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Dans ma trousse, il y a deux stylos, un crayon et une gomme.<\/span>In my pencil case there are two pens, a pencil and a rubber.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec<\/h2>\n\n
    France<\/th>Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec<\/th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    la trousse<\/td>le plumier (Belgium, Switzerland), l’\u00e9tui \u00e0 crayons (Quebec)<\/td>pencil case<\/td><\/tr>
    le classeur<\/td>la farde (Belgium), le cartable (Quebec)<\/td>ring binder<\/td><\/tr>
    la gomme<\/td>l’efface (f., Quebec)<\/td>rubber<\/td><\/tr>
    l’agrafeuse (f.)<\/td>la brocheuse (Quebec)<\/td>stapler<\/td><\/tr>
    le stylo (\u00e0 bille)<\/td>le bic (Belgium; also informal in France)<\/td>ballpoint pen<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    False friends and idioms<\/h2>\n\n
    • Le crayon<\/strong> is a pencil.<\/li>
    • La chemise<\/strong> is a card folder at school, as well as a shirt.<\/li>
    • La librairie<\/strong> is a bookshop; the library is la biblioth\u00e8que<\/span>.<\/li>
    • L’agenda<\/strong> is a diary, not a meeting agenda (l’ordre du jour<\/span>).<\/li>
    • Une copie<\/strong> is a pupil’s written work handed in, not only a copy.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n
      French<\/th>Literally<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      mettre les points sur les i<\/td>to put the dots on the i’s<\/td>to spell it out<\/td><\/tr>
      noir sur blanc<\/td>black on white<\/td>in black and white, in writing<\/td><\/tr>
      passer l’\u00e9ponge<\/td>to pass the sponge<\/td>to wipe the slate clean<\/td><\/tr>
      r\u00e9gl\u00e9 comme du papier \u00e0 musique<\/td>ruled like music paper<\/td>like clockwork<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

      Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
      • Crayon for crayon:<\/strong> it is a pencil.<\/li>
      • “Un ciseau” for scissors:<\/strong> un ciseau<\/span> is a chisel; scissors are des ciseaux<\/span>.<\/li>
      • “Je n’ai pas un stylo”:<\/strong> after the negative, pas de stylo<\/span>.<\/li>
      • “Tu peux m’emprunter ton stylo ?”:<\/strong> you borrow, they lend: Tu peux me pr\u00eater ton stylo ?<\/span><\/li>
      • Sounding silent letters:<\/strong> the p and s of compas<\/span>, the x of ciseaux<\/span>.<\/li>
      • “Des feutres marrons”:<\/strong> marron<\/span> does not take an s.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

        In class: classroom objects as a word of the day<\/h2>\n\n

        Every word is already in the room: pupils can hold up the real object as soon as they hear it.<\/p>\n\n

        1. Show the picture (a ruler) and the English word: “ruler”.<\/li>
        2. Ask Comment dit-on “ruler” en fran\u00e7ais ?<\/span> Pupils write their guess on mini whiteboards.<\/li>
        3. Reveal la r\u00e8gle<\/span> with its pronunciation. The class repeats it, then two pupils alone. Point out the accent and the silent final e.<\/li>
        4. Show the example sentence: Tu peux me pr\u00eater ta r\u00e8gle, s’il te pla\u00eet ?<\/span><\/li>
        5. Give the reuse task: pupils ask a partner to lend them the object; the partner answers Oui, tiens !<\/span> or D\u00e9sol\u00e9, je n’en ai pas.<\/span><\/li>
        6. Recall yesterday’s word: say it, and every pupil holds up the object.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

          That is exactly what a daily routine does: one word a day, in a sentence pupils will need again that same lesson.<\/p>\n\n

          Games with real objects<\/h3>\n\n

          A Kim’s game: six objects under the visualiser, hide them, remove one and ask Qu’est-ce qui manque ?<\/span> Pupils answer Il manque la gomme.<\/span> For a quick A1 check: Levez le crayon !<\/span><\/p>\n\n

          • A1<\/b>The object with its article: C’est un stylo.<\/span> C’est une r\u00e8gle.<\/span><\/li>
          • A2<\/b>Requests and descriptions: Tu me pr\u00eates ta gomme ? J’ai oubli\u00e9 ma trousse.<\/span><\/li>
          • B1<\/b>Past excuses: Hier, j’ai laiss\u00e9 mon cartable dans le bus.<\/span><\/li>
          • B2<\/b>Opinions: Je trouve qu’il vaudrait mieux \u00e9crire \u00e0 la main qu’\u00e0 l’ordinateur.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            At KS2, real objects and c’est un<\/span> \/ c’est une<\/span> are enough. At KS3, insist on pas de<\/span> and on polite requests. At GCSE, this vocabulary returns in school life and in excuses in the perfect tense.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Pencil case and classroom objects in French with their article and pronunciation, how to borrow things, false friends and a word of the day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":54,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Classroom Objects in French: Pencil Case | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"Classroom objects and school supplies in French with the article and pronunciation, crayon and other false friends, Belgian and Quebec words, a routine.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"fournitures","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"palabra","_vd_level":"A1","_vd_minutes":"7","_vd_card_word":"la trousse\u2026","_vd_answer":"The basic classroom objects in French are le stylo<\/span> (pen), le crayon<\/span> (pencil), la gomme<\/span> (rubber), la r\u00e8gle<\/span> (ruler), le taille-crayon<\/span> (sharpener), les ciseaux<\/span> (scissors), la colle<\/span> (glue), le cahier<\/span> (exercise book), la trousse<\/span> (pencil case) and le cartable<\/span> (school bag). School supplies as a whole are les fournitures scolaires<\/span>.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"pencil case\\\" in French?\",\"a\":\"La trousse<\\\/span> in France. In Belgium, le plumier<\\\/span>; in Quebec, l'\u00e9tui \u00e0 crayons<\\\/span> or le coffre \u00e0 crayons<\\\/span>. \\\"What's in your pencil case?\\\" is Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dans ta trousse ?<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"Does crayon mean crayon in French?\",\"a\":\"No. Un crayon<\\\/span> is a pencil. A colouring pencil is un crayon de couleur<\\\/span>, and a wax crayon is un crayon de cire<\\\/span> or une craie grasse<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you ask to borrow a pen in French?\",\"a\":\"Tu peux me pr\u00eater un stylo, s'il te pla\u00eet ?<\\\/span> to a classmate, or Est-ce que je peux emprunter un stylo, s'il vous pla\u00eet ?<\\\/span> to the teacher.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the plural of taille-crayon?\",\"a\":\"Des taille-crayons<\\\/span>. The first part is a verb (tailler<\\\/span>), so only the noun takes the s.\"},{\"q\":\"What does cartable mean in Quebec?\",\"a\":\"In Quebec, un cartable<\\\/span> is a ring binder. In France it is a school bag, traditionally a satchel; a ring binder there is un classeur<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"fournitures-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-113","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/113\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}