enseignant
/ɑ̃.sɛ.ɲɑ̃/
enseignant is the French word for teacher.
The term refers to a person whose profession is to teach students, typically within a school setting.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun enseignant is derived from the verb enseigner, which means to teach.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on gender and number. Use enseignante for a female teacher and enseignants for the plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃.sɛ.ɲɑ̃/
Did you know?
- France has a specialized role called a maître or maîtresse for primary school teachers, which literally means 'master' or 'mistress'.
- In French schools, students rarely call their enseignant by their name or even 'teacher', preferring the formal 'Monsieur' or 'Madame' to show respect.
- A French teacher may refer to their students as mes enfants (my children) in primary school, a term of affection not typically used by English teachers.
Examples in context
- Un enseignant est-il un homme ou une femme ?Is "un enseignant" a man or a woman?This sentence is useful for clarifying the gender of the noun enseignant.Tatoeba #11947386 by RCendre, translation #13125206 by rul
- Professeur , puis-je poser une question?Teacher, may I ask a question?
- Maîtresse , c'est l'heure de la récréation?Teacher, is it recess time?
- Prof , as-tu corrigé nos devoirs?Teacher, have you corrected our homework?
- Maîtresse , on a appris une nouvelle chanson!Teacher, we learned a new song!
- Professeur , je ne comprends pas cette formule mathématique.Teacher, I don't understand this mathematical formula.
- La nouvelle maîtresse est super sympa!The new teacher is really nice!
- Mon frère veut devenir enseignant.My brother wants to become a teacher.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are talking about their school schedule.
- ManonQui est ton enseignant préféré ?Who is your favorite teacher?
- NathanC'est M. Martin, mon enseignant d'histoire.It is Mr. Martin, my history teacher.
- ManonIl est très patient avec nous.He is very patient with us.
- NathanOui, c'est un excellent enseignant.Yes, he is an excellent teacher.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry enseignant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
