French · People & Family

"Student" in French: étudiant(e)

l'étudiant(e)

Say it: ay-tü-DYAHNnoun/e.ty.djɑ̃/

Note: school pupil: l'élève

Student in French for university age is l'étudiant or l'étudiante. Plural les étudiants. A school pupil is usually un élève—different word from the note.

Campus café

Je suis étudiante en droit.
I'm a law student.
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How to pronounce étudiant(e)

Say it

ay-tü-DYAHN

/e.ty.djɑ̃/

ay-tü-DYAHN / ay-tü-DYAHNT. Stress on DYAHN; ü in tü.

"Student" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
l'étudiant / l'étudiantethe student

Uni / higher ed.

les étudiantsthe students

Plural.

carte d'étudiantstudent ID

Discounts.

élèvepupil (school)

Primary/secondary—different word.

How to use étudiant(e) in real life

  1. 1Campus café

    Je suis étudiante en droit.

    I'm a law student.

    Feminine.

  2. 2Housing

    L'étudiant cherche une chambre près de la fac.

    The student is looking for a room near campus.

    Masculine.

  3. 3Discount desk

    Voici ma carte d'étudiant.

    Here's my student ID.

    Card.

Mistakes English speakers make with étudiant(e)

Incorrect: Je suis un élève à l'université.

Correct: Je suis étudiant / étudiante à l'université.

Use étudiant(e) for uni; élève is school pupil.

Incorrect: La étudiant arrive.

Correct: L'étudiante arrive. / L'étudiant arrive.

Elision and gender match.

Good to know

Étudiant signals university or grande école life—CROUS housing, cartes d'étudiant, and café rebates. Schoolkids remain élèves. Don't mix the two in careful speech.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Meeting at the library

  1. ChatPal

    Tu es étudiant ici ?

    Are you a student here?

  2. You

    Oui, étudiant en histoire de l'art.

    Yes, an art-history student.

  3. ChatPal

    Pareil étudiante en L3.

    Same—a third-year student.

  4. You

    On révise ensemble ?

    Shall we study together?

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Student" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Student" in French

How do you say student?

L'étudiant / l'étudiante for uni.

What about school pupils?

Un élève / une élève.

What is a student ID?

Une carte d'étudiant.

How do you pronounce étudiant?

ay-tü-DYAHN.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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