Picture scene

French school corridor vocabulary: explore beyond the classroom

Explore ten French words for school corridor facilities and signs, then help a visitor find the office, toilets and stairs from simple questions.

In short

In a school corridor, le secrétariat is the school office, les toilettes are the toilets and l’escalier is the staircase. Ask Où est le secrétariat ? for one place and Où sont les toilettes ? for the plural. Tap the facilities before helping a visitor.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A pupil shows a visitor the school office in a corridor.
The visitor asks où est le secrétariat ?. Illustration: Atelier

Find ten stops along the corridor

A bright school corridor in a cutaway perspective seen from the entrance. The office service window is on the near left, with a waiting bench beside it; farther
Study the question before choosing a door
QuestionMeaning
Où est le secrétariat ?Where is the school office?
Où sont les toilettes ?Where are the toilets?
C’est à quel étage ?Which floor is it on?
C’est au fond ?Is it at the end?

Une visite à l’école

Une visiteuse entre dans le couloir. Elle cherche le secrétariat. Un élève montre la fenêtre à gauche. « C’est ici, madame. Vous pouvez attendre sur le banc. » La visiteuse regarde ensuite le panneau d’affichage. Elle demande : « Et la bibliothèque, c’est où ? » L’élève répond : « Continuez tout droit. Elle est en face de la fontaine à eau. » La visiteuse remercie l’élève et garde son sac avec elle.

A visitor enters the corridor. She is looking for the school office. A pupil points to the window on the left. “It’s here, madam. You can wait on the bench.” The visitor then looks at the noticeboard. She asks: “And where is the library?” The pupil replies: “Keep going straight ahead. It’s opposite the drinking fountain.” The visitor thanks the pupil and keeps her bag with her.

à gauche: on the left; tout droit: straight ahead.

Les casiers is masculine plural and les toilettes is feminine plural; both take sont. For the staircase, learn un escalier so its gender stays clear when you see l’escalier. Au fond points to the far end of the corridor.

Question 1No account needed
Choose the facility named in the question.Bonjour, où est le secrétariat ?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Le secrétariat.. The visitor names le secrétariat, the school office.

Question 2No account needed
Which doorway should you point to?Excusez-moi, où sont les toilettes ?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Les toilettes.. Les toilettes names the toilet facilities, using a plural noun.

Question 3No account needed
Which feature lets the visitor go upstairs?Je cherche l’escalier.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

L’escalier.. The visitor asks for l’escalier, the staircase at the end of this corridor.

Question 4No account needed
What should the visitor sit on?Attendez sur le banc, s’il vous plaît.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Le banc.. Sur le banc means on the bench beside the office.