cours d'EPS
In France, gym class at school is cours d'EPS, the physical education lesson in the school timetable.
cours d'EPS is the standard way pupils, parents and teachers in France refer to the subject in a school context.
What does it mean word for word?
EPS is an acronym for Éducation Physique et Sportive, meaning physical education and sport. cours means class or lesson.
Which one should you use?
Classe d'éducation physique is a more formal way to name physical education.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
cours d'EPS is the standard, formal school term. Classe d'éducation physique is also formal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France the subject is called EPS. In Quebec, éducation physique can be used to refer to gym class.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use gym for the school subject. In French, le gym or la salle de gym refers to the room or the facility, not the class.
Did you know?
- In France, EPS is considered a formal academic discipline that includes a theoretical component, which is why Éducation is the leading word in the acronym.
- The word cours used in this phrase shares a common ancestor with the English word 'course', both stemming from the Latin cursus which refers to a path or a running track.
- Unlike in France, speakers in Quebec often omit the word cours entirely and use éducation physique to refer to the specific period of class.
Examples in context
- J'ai cours d'EPS à dix heures.I have gym class at ten o'clock.
- Le cours d'EPS est dans la salle de sport.The gym class is in the sports hall.
- Est-ce qu'on a cours d'EPS cet après-midi ?Do we have gym class this afternoon?
Example conversation
Two students are checking their schedule in a school hallway.
- ManonGabriel, tu as cours d'EPS aujourd'hui ?Gabriel, do you have gym class today?
- GabrielOui, c'est à quatorze heures.Yes, it is at two p.m.
- ManonMoi, je n'ai pas cours d'EPS.As for me, I don't have gym class.
- GabrielQuelle chance, Manon !How lucky you are, Manon!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cours, CC BY-SA 4.0.
