What does it mean word for word?
Literally, comment se passe l'école means "how is school passing". It uses the reflexive verb se passer to mean "to happen" or "to go".
Which one should you use?
You can use Quelles sont les nouvelles de l'école? to ask for specific updates, or Ça se passe bien à l'école? to specifically ask if school is going well. The phrase Comment ça se passe à l'école? is another way to ask how school is going, and Quoi de neuf à l'école? is a way to ask "What's up at school?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you want to be more formal, you can use Quelles sont les nouvelles de l'école? to inquire about recent updates. For informal situations, you can use Ça se passe bien à l'école?, Comment ça se passe à l'école? or Quoi de neuf à l'école? In casual conversation, speakers often move the question word to the end and use ça to sound more natural, saying ça se passe comment, l'école ?
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to ask how specific classes are going rather than school in general, you must change the verb to the plural form se passent to agree with the plural subject les cours (e.g., comment se passent les cours).
Did you know?
- While l'école refers to the school as an institution, French students often use the word le bahut in slang when talking about their school experience.
- Depending on the region, a student might answer a question about school using le collège for middle school or le lycée for high school, as l'école is often reserved for primary education.
- In France, the school year is divided into three distinct terms called trimestres, so a student's answer to comment se passe l'école might change based on which third of the year they are in.
Examples in context
- Ça se passe bien à l'école?Is school going well?
- Ça se passe bien, merci !It is going well, thanks!
- Comment se passe l'école pour toi ?How is school going for you?
- Dis-moi, comment se passe l'école cette année ?Tell me, how is school going this year?
- Je me demande comment se passe l'école pour elle.I wonder how school is going for her.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are having coffee together.
- GabrielSalut Léa, comment se passe l'école ?Hi Léa, how is school going?
- LéaC'est un peu difficile en ce moment.It is a bit difficult at the moment.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu as trop de devoirs ?Do you have too much homework?
- LéaOui, j'ai beaucoup de travail.Yes, I have a lot of work.
