faculté de médecine
feminine
The English phrase "medical school" is translated into French as faculté de médecine.
faculté de médecine refers to the institution or faculty that offers medical education. While you can say être à la faculté de médecine to mean being at medical school, it is very common to use the phrase faire des études de médecine (to do studies of medicine) to express the act of attending medical school.
Meaning: school that teaches medicine (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase faculté de médecine literally translates to "faculty of medicine".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The most formal way to translate the concept is École de médecine. In casual conversation, students and laypeople often shorten faculté to fac, resulting in the informal expression la fac de médecine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun faculté is feminine, so the definite article used with it is la (e.g., la faculté de médecine).
Did you know?
- The word faculté is a doublet of the French word facilité, meaning 'ease'. Both words share the same Latin root, facultās, which meant both a physical ability and an organized body.
- In France, the phrase faire son internat describes the grueling residency period, which is viewed as a professional transition rather than just a continuation of la faculté de médecine.
- While the official term is faculté de médecine, students frequently use the generic phrase je suis à la fac to identify as university students without specifying their major.
Examples in context
- Dan a été admis à la faculté de médecine.Dan was accepted into medical school.This sentence is useful for showing how to express being accepted into faculté de médecine.Tatoeba #4025994 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #4025952 by Amastan
- Elle a obtenu son diplôme de la faculté de médecine l'année dernière.She graduated from the faculty of medicine last year.
- Je suis tellement excité(e) de commencer à la fac de médecine la semaine prochaine !I'm so excited to start at med school next week!
- Est-ce que tu envisages de passer en médecine ?Are you planning to pass the entrance exam and enter medical studies?
- Elle étudie à la faculté de médecine.She studies at medical school.
- Ma sœur veut entrer en faculté de médecine.My sister wants to enter medical school.
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking about their career paths in a cafe.
- HugoTu vas à la faculté de médecine ?Are you going to medical school?
- ChloéOui, j'étudie pour devenir médecin.Yes, I am studying to become a doctor.
- HugoC'est un parcours très difficile.That is a very difficult path.
- ChloéC'est vrai, mais c'est ma passion.It's true, but it is my passion.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “medical school” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, faculté, médecine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
