Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| professeur | /pʁɔ.fɛ.sœʁ/ /pʁɔ.fe.sœʁ/ |
masculine |
| instituteur | /ɛ̃s.ti.ty.tœʁ/ | |
| maître d'école | /mɛ.tʁə d‿e.kɔl/ | masculine |
| enseignant | /ɑ̃.sɛ.ɲɑ̃/ /ɑ̃.se.ɲɑ̃/ |
masculine |
All these terms refer to a person who teaches. When stating your profession in French, such as 'Ma mère est professeur', you do not use an indefinite article like 'un' or 'une' before the noun.
Which one should you use?
While professeur can mean any teacher, it is the standard term for teachers in secondary and higher education. In contrast, instituteur specifically refers to a teacher in a primary or elementary school.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
professeur and enseignant are both formal, standard terms. For an informal setting, students often use the abbreviation prof.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, the term professeur des écoles refers specifically to a teacher in primary school. In Switzerland and parts of Belgium, répétiteur is used to describe a private tutor.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form of professeur is professeur, and its feminine form is professeure. The masculine form of enseignant is enseignant, and its feminine form is enseignante.
How do you pronounce it?
/pʁɔ.fɛ.sœʁ/
Did you know?
- French students historically addressed their teachers as Monsieur or Madame rather than using the title Professeur directly in speech.
- The term maître d'école translates literally to 'master of the school', reflecting an older tradition of the teacher as the absolute authority in the classroom.
- The word maître is a linguistic relative of the English word 'master' and the Italian word maestro, as all three share a common root in the Latin magister.
Examples in context
- Tu es le professeur.You're the teacher.This sentence identifies a specific person as the teacher.Tatoeba #2228911 by sacredceltic, translation #2218439 by CK
- Ma mère est professeur.My mother is a teacher.This sentence shows how to state a profession without an indefinite article using professeur.Tatoeba #14884 by Julien_PDC, translation #456443 by lukaszpp
- Dan va être enseignant.Dan is going to be a teacher.This sentence demonstrates the use of enseignant to describe a future profession.Tatoeba #4069893 by Amastan, translation #12263793 by Miktsoanit
- Madame Dupont est mon professeur de français cette année.Mrs. Dupont is my French teacher this year.
- Les enseignants de l'école organisent une réunion demain matin.The teachers of the school are organizing a meeting tomorrow morning.
- Je dois rester après les cours pour parler avec le prof.I have to stay after class to talk to the teacher.
- Notre instituteur organise une sortie scolaire pour la classe.Our primary school teacher is organizing a field trip for the class.
- Ma fille adore son professeur des écoles, elle a beaucoup appris cette année.My daughter loves her primary school teacher, she has learned a lot this year.
- J'ai engagé un répétiteur de mathématiques pour m'aider à me préparer à l'examen.I hired a math tutor to help me prepare for the exam.
- 897 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are talking about their new class.
- GabrielEst-ce que le nouveau professeur est gentil ?Is the new teacher kind?
- ManonOui, il est très patient avec nous.Yes, he is very patient with us.
- GabrielC'est super, j'aime ce professeur.That's great, I like this teacher.
- ManonMoi aussi, ses cours sont intéressants.Me too, his lessons are interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries professeur, instituteur, maître d'école, enseignant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries enseignant, maître, professeur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
