notes
The English phrase "grades" is translated into French as notes.
In an academic context, notes refers to the marks or scores a student receives for their performance in a course or assignment. In more formal educational settings, you may encounter Le résultat to describe the outcome of an evaluation or La mention to denote a specific distinction awarded based on performance. For example, mention très bien refers to the highest honor, while mention bien translates to high honor.
Which one should you use?
While notes is the standard way to say academic grades or marks, be aware that the word also means written observations or musical notes. In formal educational terminology, Le résultat is used for an evaluation outcome and La mention is used for distinctions.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the French word grades to mean academic marks. In French, grades refers specifically to military or professional ranks.
Did you know?
- In France, receiving a 20/20 is rare and sometimes avoided by teachers because perfection is seen as an impossible goal.
- While English speakers often use a 4.0 scale, the French system typically grades out of 20, where 10 is the minimum passing mark.
- The word grade in French is strictly reserved for ranks, such as a grade militaire, and using it for school marks is a common 'false friend' error.
Examples in context
- J'ai de bonnes notes.I get good grades.This sentence is useful for saying you receive good grades.Tatoeba #5306740 by Aiji, translation #2329569 by CK
- Il a de bonnes notes.He has good grades.This sentence is useful for saying someone has good grades.Tatoeba #12480573 by always, translation #8495269 by Amastan
- Comment vont tes notes ?How are your grades?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's grades.Tatoeba #6365579 by Aiji, translation #3374759 by CK
- J'ai obtenu une bonne note en mathématiques.I got a good grade in mathematics.
- Quelle est ta moyenne générale ?What is your overall average grade?
- Les étudiants ont reçu une mention honorable pour leur projet.The students received an honorable mention for their project.
- Les résultats de l'examen viennent de tomber.The exam results just came out.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are discussing a recent exam result.
- HugoTu as reçu tes notes de math ?Did you get your math grades?
- ChloéOui, j'ai eu de très bonnes notes.Yes, I got very good grades.
- HugoFélicitations pour tes notes, Chloé !Congratulations on your grades, Chloé!
- ChloéMerci, c'est très gentil.Thanks, that's very kind.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
