Reading

Collègue, camarade or voisin? Meet the people in Lucie’s day

Read a short French text about a colleague, a classmate and a neighbour. Compare gender forms and check who Lucie knows from each setting.

In short

Un collègue or une collègue is a colleague; un camarade de classe or une camarade de classe is a classmate. Un voisin or une voisine is a neighbour. These words tell you how you know someone; add un ami or une amie to say you are friends.

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A2 · work, class and home

Les trois rendez-vous de Lucie

Le matin

Je m’appelle Lucie. Je travaille dans une agence de voyages avec Malik, mon collègue1. Nous préparons les dossiers des clients ensemble. Il connaît bien les hôtels de la région ; moi, je m’occupe des billets de train. Nous travaillons dans le même bureau, mais nous avons des tâches différentes.

Le soir

Après le travail, je retrouve Emma, une camarade de classe2. Nous suivons un cours d’italien le mardi soir. Avant le cours, nous révisons au café. Emma est aussi une amie : le samedi, nous allons souvent au cinéma ensemble.

À la maison

En rentrant, je croise ma voisine d’en face3, Inès. Elle habite dans l’appartement en face du mien. Elle me demande des nouvelles du cours. Inès travaille aussi à l’agence, dans une autre équipe. C’est donc ma collègue et ma voisine ! Demain, nous prendrons le bus ensemble.

Read it in English

My name is Lucie. I work in a travel agency with Malik, my colleague. We prepare clients’ files together. He knows the region’s hotels well; I handle train tickets. We work in the same office but have different tasks.

After work, I meet Emma, a classmate. We take an Italian class on Tuesday evenings. Before class, we revise in a café. Emma is also a friend: on Saturdays, we often go to the cinema together.

On the way home, I run into my neighbour Inès, who lives opposite me. She asks how the class is going. Inès also works at the agency, in another team. So she is my colleague and my neighbour! Tomorrow, we will take the bus together.

What is the difference between collègue, camarade and voisin?

The article changes; some nouns stay the same
MasculineFeminineConnection
un collègueune collèguework
un camarade de classeune camarade de classea shared class
un voisinune voisineliving nearby
un voisin de tableune voisine de tablesitting next to someone at a meal

Camarade can also mean a companion in a shared activity or cause. De classe gives a clear school or course context. Voisin can describe someone temporarily beside you: mon voisin de table. For a person living above you, say mon voisin du dessus.

Four settings for meeting people

Question 1No account needed
Who is both Lucie’s colleague and her neighbour?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Inès. Inès works at the agency and lives in the flat opposite Lucie’s.

Question 2No account needed
Which connection does Lucie have with Emma?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

They share an Italian class and are friends.. Emma is explicitly called a classmate and also a friend.

Question 3No account needed
Choose the feminine phrase.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

une voisine. The feminine noun adds -e: une voisine.