je vais à l'école à
The English phrase "I attend school at" is translated into French as je vais à l'école à.
This phrase is used to state the name or location of the educational institution where a person is a student.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use j'assiste à l'école to mean "I attend school". In French, assister à means to be present at an event or a lecture, not to be a student at an institution.
Did you know?
- In France, students often use the slang term le bahut to refer to their school. While école is the formal term, bahut is common in casual teenage conversation.
- The word vais comes from the Latin vadō, which means 'to go' or 'to walk'. This is the same root that gives English the word 'evade', which literally means to 'go away' from something.
- If you want to say you are a student at a university rather than a primary school, you would likely swap je vais à l'école for je suis à l'université or je vais à la fac.
Examples in context
- Je fréquente l'école à Paris.I attend school in Paris.
- Je fréquente l'école à Lyon.I attend school in Lyon.
- Je fréquente l'école à Bordeaux.I attend school in Bordeaux.
- Je vais à l'école à Toulouse.I go to school in Toulouse.
- Je vais à l'école à Montpellier.I go to school in Montpellier.
- Je vais à l'école à Marseille.I go to school in Marseille.
- Je vais en cours à Nantes.I attend classes in Nantes.
- Je vais en cours à Lille.I attend classes in Lille.
- Je vais en cours à Clermont-Ferrand.I attend classes in Clermont-Ferrand.
- Je vais à l'école à Lyon pour apprendre le français.I attend school in Lyon to learn French.
Example conversation
Two students are meeting for the first time.
- EmmaSalut Hugo, tu étudies où ?Hi Hugo, where do you study?
- HugoJe vais à l'école à Lyon. Et toi ?I attend school in Lyon. And you?
- EmmaMoi, je vais à l'école à Marseille.Me, I attend school in Marseille.
- HugoC'est une ville magnifique !That is a magnificent city!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, vais, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
