School rules (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
School rules
Essential vocabulary
Understanding school rules in French requires knowing key vocabulary and expressions. These essential terms form the foundation of discussing school regulations and will appear frequently in exams and conversations about school life.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| les règles | the rules |
| arriver | to arrive |
| en retard | late |
| il est interdit de | it's forbidden to |
| il faut | you must/it's necessary to |
| on peut | you can |
| on ne peut pas | you can't |
| se comporter | to behave |
| portable (m) | mobile phone |
| uniforme (m) | uniform |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| classe (f) | class/classroom |
| cours (m) | lesson |
| manger | to eat |
| porter | to wear |
| utiliser | to use |
| juste | fair |
| tard | late |
| tôt | early |
| comportement (m) | behaviour |
| directeur/directrice | headteacher |
Pay special attention to the gender markers (m) for masculine and (f) for feminine nouns, as these will affect adjective agreement and article usage when forming sentences about school rules.
Grammar structures for expressing rules
When discussing school rules in French, you need to master several key structures that express obligation, permission, and prohibition. These grammatical patterns are fundamental to understanding and creating statements about what students must, can, or cannot do.
Expressing obligation
The most common ways to express what students must do use these key structures:
Il faut + infinitive means "you must" or "it's necessary to":
Grammar Example: Using Il faut
- Il faut arriver à l'heure. (You must arrive on time.)
- Il faut suivre les règles. (You must follow the rules.)
- Il faut respecter les professeurs. (You must respect the teachers.)
On doit + infinitive also means "you must":
Grammar Example: Using On doit
- On doit bien se comporter. (You must behave well.)
- On doit porter l'uniforme. (You must wear uniform.)
- On doit écouter en classe. (You must listen in class.)
Expressing permission and prohibition
Understanding what students can and cannot do requires mastering these essential structures:
On peut + infinitive means "you can":
Permission Examples
- On peut utiliser le portable pendant la pause. (You can use your mobile phone during break.)
- On peut parler avec les amis dans la cour. (You can talk with friends in the playground.)
On ne peut pas + infinitive means "you can't":
Prohibition Examples
- On ne peut pas manger dans les salles de classe. (You can't eat in the classrooms.)
- On ne peut pas parler en cours. (You can't talk during lessons.)
- On ne peut pas arriver en retard. (You can't arrive late.)
Remember that with negative expressions like on ne peut pas, you must include both parts of the negation: ne before the verb and pas after it. Never omit either part!
Expressing prohibition formally
For formal or official prohibitions, schools often use this structure:
Il est interdit de + infinitive means "it's forbidden to":
Formal Prohibition Examples
- Il est interdit de courir dans les couloirs. (It's forbidden to run in the corridors.)
- Il est interdit d'utiliser le portable en classe. (It's forbidden to use mobile phones in class.)
- Il est interdit de mâcher du chewing-gum. (It's forbidden to chew gum.)
Discussing fairness and opinions
When expressing opinions about school rules, students often need to give their personal views. These opinion expressions are particularly useful in speaking and writing assessments:
Opinion Expressions for School Rules
- C'est juste (It's fair)
- Ce n'est pas juste (It's not fair)
- Je pense que... (I think that...)
- Selon moi... (In my opinion...)
These phrases help you express whether you agree with particular school rules and can be combined with the grammatical structures above for more complex responses.
Exam tips
Critical Points for Exam Success
-
Modal verbs: Remember that after il faut, on peut, and il est interdit de, you always use the infinitive form of the verb.
-
Negation: With on ne peut pas, don't forget both parts of the negative (ne and pas).
-
Gender agreement: Remember that portable is masculine, classe is feminine, and règles is feminine plural.
-
Translation exercises: Pay attention to whether the question asks about what students must do, can do, or are forbidden to do - these require different structures.
Practice exercise types
Exam papers typically include various question formats that test your understanding of school rules vocabulary and grammar. You should be prepared for exercises where you need to demonstrate accurate use of modal expressions and proper sentence construction.
Common exercise types include:
- Complete sentences about school rules using the correct modal expression
- Identify whether statements about rules are true or false
- Translate sentences between French and English
- Match rules to their correct categories (permitted/forbidden/required)
Translation Practice Examples
French → English:
-
On ne peut pas utiliser le portable en classe. Translation: You can't use mobile phones in class.
-
Il faut arriver à l'heure. Translation: You must arrive on time.
English → French:
-
It's forbidden to eat in lessons. Translation: Il est interdit de manger en cours.
-
You must wear uniform. Translation: Il faut porter l'uniforme. or On doit porter l'uniforme.
Key Points to Remember:
- Il faut + infinitive = you must (obligation)
- On peut/ne peut pas + infinitive = you can/can't (permission/prohibition)
- Il est interdit de + infinitive = it's forbidden to (formal prohibition)
- Always use the infinitive form after these modal expressions
- School rules vocabulary is essential for discussing what is and isn't allowed at school
- Practice combining grammar structures with vocabulary for more complex sentences