Comment s'appelle ton école ?
In French, "what is the name of your school?" is expressed as Comment s'appelle ton école ?
This phrase is used to ask for the specific name of the educational institution someone attends. While Comment s'appelle ton école ? is the most natural way to phrase this, you may also see more literal translations or colloquial variations depending on the social context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Comment s'appelle ton école ? literally translates to "How calls itself your school?"
Which one should you use?
Comment s'appelle ton école ? is the most natural phrasing. Quel est le nom de ton école ? is also grammatically correct but follows the English sentence structure more closely. In casual settings, you might also hear the colloquial form Tu es dans quelle école ?, which translates to "Which school are you in?"
How does it change in a sentence?
When speaking to an adult, a stranger or a group of people, you should use votre école instead of ton école to maintain proper formal/plural address, resulting in the phrase Comment s'appelle votre école ?
Did you know?
- The word école comes from the Ancient Greek skholḗ, which originally meant 'leisure' or 'spare time'. This reflects the ancient idea that only those with free time from manual labor could afford to study.
- In a French classroom, students do not usually address their teacher by 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' followed by a name, but simply as Monsieur or Madame.
- In France, the answer to Comment s'appelle ton école ? might be a name like Jean Jaurès or Victor Hugo, as many schools are named after famous historical figures.
Examples in context
- Je vais à [school name].I go to [school name].
- Mon école s'appelle [school name].My school is called [school name].
Example conversation
Two students are chatting during a break at the park.
- EmmaComment s'appelle ton école ?What is the name of your school?
- HugoElle s'appelle l'École Moderne.It is called École Moderne.
- EmmaC'est une très grande école.It is a very large school.
- HugoOui, elle est très connue.Yes, it is very well known.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comment, ton, école, CC BY-SA 4.0.
