je me suis spécialisé en
The English phrase "I majored in" is expressed in French as je me suis spécialisé en.
This phrase is used to state the primary subject a person studied for their college degree. While you can use se spécialiser en to highlight a specific concentration, it is also very common to use the phrase faire des études de to say you studied a particular subject in university.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, je me suis spécialisé en means "I specialized myself in".
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, you might use different forms: ma spécialité était can be used to say "my major was", while J'ai fait des études en is a formal way to say "I studied in" or "I majored in".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec French, the phrase J'ai fait mon baccalauréat en is used to mean "I did my bachelor's degree in".
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, an extra "e" is added to the end of the past participle to form je me suis spécialisée en.
Did you know?
- In France, the word baccalauréat (or bac) usually refers to the high school diploma required to enter university, whereas in Québec, it refers to the undergraduate degree itself.
- The reflexive verb se spécialiser suggests an active process of 'specializing oneself', treating the acquisition of a major as an action the student performs on themselves.
- The word je comes from the Latin word 'egō̆', which is the exact same root used for the English word 'I'.
Examples in context
- Je me suis spécialisé en psychologie.I majored in psychology.This sentence is useful for stating your major in psychology using je me suis spécialisé en.Tatoeba #1833006 by sacredceltic, translation #778273 by kenken
- J'ai fait des études en économie.I majored in economics.
- Je me suis spécialisé(e) en informatique.I specialized in computer science.
- J'ai fait mon baccalauréat en anthropologie.I did my bachelor's degree in anthropology.
- J'ai fait des études en génie civil.I majored in civil engineering.
- Je me suis spécialisé(e) en littérature française.I specialized in French literature.
- J'ai étudié le droit international.I majored in international law.
- J'ai étudié l'informatique.I majored in computer science.
- J'ai fait des études en biologie.I majored in biology.
- Je me suis spécialisé en histoire de l'art.I majored in art history.
Example conversation
Two former classmates meeting for coffee.
- EmmaQu'est-ce que tu as étudié, Gabriel ?What did you study, Gabriel?
- GabrielJe me suis spécialisé en informatique.I majored in computer science.
- EmmaC'est génial ! Tu travailles dans ce domaine ?That's great! Do you work in that field?
- GabrielOui, je suis développeur maintenant.Yes, I am a developer now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, je, me, suis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
