campus
/kɑ̃.pys/masculine
The English word 'campus' is translated into French as campus.
The word refers to the grounds or property of a school, etc.
Meaning: grounds or property of a school, etc. (noun)
Which one should you use?
You may see the more descriptive Le campus universitaire used to specifically mean 'the university campus'. In formal settings, Le site universitaire is also used interchangeably with le campus universitaire.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɑ̃.pys/
Did you know?
- The French word campus is a doublet of the English word 'camp' and the French word champ, meaning 'field'. All three evolved from the same Latin root.
- If you are a student in France, you might tell your friends you are going to la fac instead of mentioning a campus. Although campus refers to the physical grounds, la fac is the ubiquitous shorthand used to refer to the entire university institution in daily life.
- While an English speaker might use 'campus' to describe any school grounds, using campus for a primary or secondary school in France would sound highly unusual. In French, the term is almost strictly reserved for the higher education environment.
Examples in context
- Tom est sur le campus.Tom is on campus.This sentence shows how to use the preposition with campus.Tatoeba #7562412 by tras, translation #7544648 by CK
- Il vit en dehors du campus.He lives off campus.This sentence demonstrates how to express living off the campus.Tatoeba #1410569 by sacredceltic, translation #294790 by CK
- Notre université a un beau campus.Our university has a beautiful campus.This sentence shows how to describe a university having a campus.Tatoeba #6939933 by Aiji, translation #2045847 by CK
- Le colloque se tiendra au campus universitaire.The conference will take place on the university campus.
- On se retrouve au campus pour étudier ensemble?Shall we meet at the campus to study together?
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are meeting for the first time at their university.
- NathanBienvenue sur le campus, Emma !Welcome to the campus, Emma!
- EmmaMerci ! Le campus est vraiment immense.Thank you! The campus is really huge.
- NathanOui, on peut se perdre sur le campus.Yes, one can get lost on the campus.
- EmmaJe vais explorer le campus demain.I am going to explore the campus tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “campus” translations and entries campus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries campus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
