Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Intro

Hi, everyone. I’m Lindsay from FrenchPod101.com. In this video, we’ll be talking about the Top 10 School Subjects. Let’s get into it!
SUBJECT 1
The first subject is...
[Normal] art [Slow] art
"art"
French students take art lessons in middle school. It is called arts plastiques because students are engaged in artistic practices or activities.
You could say J'ai du mal à comprendre l'Art contemporain,
which means "It's hard for me to understand modern art."
SUBJECT 2
[Normal] histoire [Slow] histoire
This means "history."
Did you know there is a difference between Histoire with a capital letter and histoire? L'Histoire is a study of past. Une histoire is a story. It can be true or invented.
If you refer to the subject you could say L'Histoire de France est passionnante, which means, "The history of France is fascinating."
SUBJECT 3
[Normal] géographie [Slow] géographie
"geography"
For example, J'ai un nouveau prof de géographie.
This means, "I have a new Geography teacher."
In France, students study History and Geography with the same teacher. That's why it is called leçons d'Histoire-géographie.
SUBJECT 4
[Normal] biologie [Slow] biologie
"biology"
For example, you can say La biologie est l'étude des organismes vivants,
which means, "Biology is the study of living organisms."
Actually, in France, we usually say SVT instead of biologie. It's an acronym for Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre (“life and earth sciences”).
SUBJECT 5
The next subject is...
[Normal] chimie [Slow] chimie
"chemistry"
For example, Le laboratoire est un endroit pour apprendre la chimie.
"The laboratory is a place to learn about Chemistry."
Chemistry and Physics are taught in the same class by the same teacher. It is called leçons de physique-chimie. Leçon means “lesson.”
SUBJECT 6
[Normal] physique [Slow] physique
"physics"
For example, you can say Je connais les bases de la physique,
which means "I know the basics of physics."
Physique is also an adjective meaning “physical” and “demanding.”
SUBJECT 7
[Normal] maths [Slow] maths
"math"
For example, you can say Ma matière préférée à l'école est les mathématiques.
This means, "My favorite subject in school is math."
If you want to say which subject in school is your favorite, you have to start your sentence like this -- ma matière préférée est… (“my favorite subject is…”).
SUBJECT 8
[Normal] informatique [Slow] informatique
This means "computer science.”
Apprendre à utiliser l'informatique est indispensable à présent.
"To learn computer science is crucial these days."
à présent in French means "now," “these days.” Don’t confuse it with un présent which means "a gift."
SUBJECT 9
[Normal] éducation physique [Slow] éducation physique
"physical education"
For example, Les cours d'éducation physique sont pour moi un échappatoire means "Physical education lessons are like a way out for me."
Usually, to talk about physical education, we say leçons d'EPS. It is an acronym for Éducation physique et sportive. Basically, it means "Physical education and sports."
SUBJECT 10
[Normal] musique [Slow] musique
"music"
In France, students only take music lessons in middle school, like art classes. But these subjects can also be taken in high school as optional classes.
Here is a sample sentence. Ce que je n'aime pas en musique, c'est de devoir chanter devant tout le monde.
This means, "What I don't like about music class is singing in front of everyone else."

Outro

Okay, that's all for this lesson. Which subject you like more? Leave us a comment letting us know. And we'll see you next time!
À bientôt!

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