Equipment and facilities in school (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Equipment and facilities in school
Essential vocabulary
Learning vocabulary about school equipment and facilities is essential for describing your school environment and discussing educational activities in French.
School equipment
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le cahier | exercise book |
| l'équipement (m) | equipment |
| l'ordinateur portable (m) | laptop |
| le projet | project, plan |
| le sac | bag |
| le spectacle | show |
| la tablette | tablet |
| la recherche | research |
| la rentrée | start of school year |
| utile | useful |
School facilities and areas
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le bâtiment | building |
| la bibliothèque | library |
| le champ | field |
| la cour | playground |
| le cours | lesson |
| le gymnase | gym |
| la salle | room |
| scolaire | school |
| le terrain | pitch, sports ground |
| le directeur/la directrice | headteacher |
Notice that many school equipment terms are masculine (le cahier, l'ordinateur portable), while facilities can be either masculine (le gymnase, le terrain) or feminine (la bibliothèque, la salle). Pay attention to the gender markers to help with agreement later.
Example sentences using equipment vocabulary:
- J'utilise mon ordinateur portable pour faire des recherches. (I use my laptop to do research.)
- Ma tablette est très utile pour les projets scolaires. (My tablet is very useful for school projects.)
- Les élèves mettent leurs cahiers dans leur sac. (Students put their exercise books in their bag.)
Grammar focus: irregular adjectives ending in -if
Understanding how adjectives change their forms is crucial for accurate French grammar. When adjectives end in -if, they follow a specific irregular pattern that you must memorise.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | actif | active |
| Plural | actifs | actives |
Key point: The feminine form changes from -if to -ive, and this pattern applies to the plural forms too. This is an irregular change that doesn't follow the standard adjective rules.
Example sentences with -if adjectives:
- On peut faire des activités sportives au collège. (You can do sports activities at school.)
- Ils sont actifs pendant les cours de sport. (They are active during PE lessons.)
- La journée scolaire est longue. (The school day is long.)
Special case: The adjective long (long) becomes longue in the feminine form by adding -ue. This follows a different pattern from the -if adjectives above.
Describing school facilities
When discussing your school environment, it's important to provide balanced descriptions that include both positive and negative aspects. This shows sophisticated language use and critical thinking.
Positive aspects:
- Mon collège est grand et moderne. (My school is big and modern.)
- Nous avons beaucoup de salles avec des ordinateurs. (We have lots of rooms with computers.)
Negative aspects:
- Un aspect négatif de tout l'équipement est qu'il est lourd. (A negative aspect of all the equipment is that it is heavy.)
Including both positive and negative viewpoints demonstrates advanced French skills and shows you can express nuanced opinions about your school environment.
Useful verbs for school topics
These verbs are frequently used when discussing school routines and activities:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| commencer | to start |
| finir | to finish |
| profiter de | to take advantage of |
| s'entraîner | to train |
Example sentences with school verbs:
- Les cours commencent à huit heures. (Lessons start at eight o'clock.)
- On peut profiter des installations sportives. (We can take advantage of the sports facilities.)
Exam tips
For open-ended questions about describing your school:
- Use connectives like où (where) and que (which/that) to create complex sentences
- Include both equipment and facilities in your descriptions
- Mention what you can do in different areas: où on peut faire des recherches (where we can do research)
- Try to give your opinion: que j'adore (which I love)
These strategies will help you achieve higher marks by demonstrating sophisticated language use and detailed knowledge.
Sample translation practice:
French to English:
- Le gymnase est utile pour s'entraîner.
- La bibliothèque a beaucoup d'ordinateurs portables.
English to French:
- The sports ground is big and modern.
- We can do research in the library.
Answers:
- The gym is useful for training.
- The library has lots of laptops.
- Le terrain de sport est grand et moderne.
- On peut faire des recherches dans la bibliothèque.
Key Points to Remember:
- Equipment vocabulary includes items like ordinateur portable, tablette, and cahier
- Facilities vocabulary covers areas like gymnase, bibliothèque, and terrain
- Irregular -if adjectives change to -ive in feminine forms (actif → active)
- Use connectives like où and que to create sophisticated sentences in exams
- Always try to give opinions and mention what you can do in different school areas