vieille école
/vjɛ.j‿e.kɔl/
To say old school in French, use vieille école, as in être de la vieille école. If unsure, use vieille école. Wiktionary also lists à l’ancienne and vieux jeu.
Meaning: characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| vieille école | /vjɛ.j‿e.kɔl/ |
| à l’ancienne | |
| vieux jeu | /vjø ʒø/ |
vieille école describes a person, style or way of thinking from an earlier time. It often appears in the set phrase être de la vieille école, to be from the old school.
What does it mean word for word?
à l’ancienne literally means in the old way. vieille is feminine because école is a feminine noun.
Which one should you use?
vieille école is often neutral or even respectful. vieux jeu carries a negative tone of being outdated, stuck in one's ways or out of touch. à l’ancienne usually describes a method, a recipe or a technique rather than a person's character. ancienne école is another way to name the old school as a group or a method.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA vieille école is /vjɛ.j‿e.kɔl/, with the two words linked together.
Did you know?
- The word école shares its ancestry with the Ancient Greek word σχολή, which actually meant 'leisure'. It is thought that the Greeks used this word for the free time spent in intellectual conversation.
- The phrase vieux jeu literally translates to 'old game'. In this context, 'jeu' does not refer to a sport or a pastime, but rather to a pattern of behavior or a mindset.
Examples in context
- Tom est vieux jeu.Tom is old school.vieux jeu describes Tom as old fashioned in a slightly critical way.Tatoeba #5801069 by Toynop, translation #2648346 by CK
- être de la vieille écoleTo be from the old schoolêtre de la vieille école is the set phrase for being from the old school.
- Il préfère les méthodes d'enseignement à l'ancienne.He prefers old-school teaching methods.
- J'adore le style rétro de cette voiture.I love the old-school style of this car.
- C'est du rap à l'ancienne, j'adore!It's old-school rap, I love it!
- J'utilise encore un stylo et du papier, je suis de la vieille école.I still use pen and paper, I'm old school.
- C't'une chanson de l'ancienne mouture, ça!That's an old-school song!
- Sa méthode de travail est très vieille école.His working method is very old school.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a coworker's preference for paper notebooks.
- GabrielIl n'utilise jamais d'ordinateur pour ses notes.He never uses a computer for his notes.
- ChloéC'est vrai, il est vraiment vieille école.That's true, he is really old school.
- GabrielMais c'est efficace et organisé.But it's efficient and organized.
- ChloéJe suis d'accord avec toi, Gabriel.I agree with you, Gabriel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “old school” translations and entries vieille école, vieux jeu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jeu, vieux, à, école, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
