School gate chit chat: Kid-anchored small talk
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Key Phrases
Ça va ce matin ?
How are you this morning?
Votre fils est en forme aujourd'hui ?
Is your son in good shape today?
Je vous souhaite une bonne journée.
I wish you a good day.
Skills You'll Learn
Greeting someone politely and asking how they are
Saluer quelqu'un poliment et demander comment il va
Talking about children and how they feel
Parler des enfants et de leur état
Using polite expressions to continue and end a conversation
Utiliser des expressions polies pour continuer et terminer une conversation
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are a parent chatting with another parent at the school gate in the morning, making friendly small talk about how everyone is doing and about your children.
Bonjour ! Ça va ce matin ?
Hello! How are you this morning?
Bonjour ! Oui, ça va bien, merci. Et vous ?
Hello! Yes, I'm doing well, thank you. And you?
Ça va bien. Votre fils est en forme aujourd'hui ?
I'm doing well. Is your son in good shape today?
Oui, il est content. Il aime beaucoup l'école.
Yes, he's happy. He really likes school.
Ma fille aussi. Elle parle de sa maîtresse tous les soirs.
My daughter does too. She talks about her teacher every evening.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Bonjour !
bohn-ZHOOR
Hello!
Ça va
sah vah
How are you / Are you okay
💬 [Ça va] asks and answers. Reply [ça va] and you are done.
🇫🇷 At the school gate this is often just a quick check-in, not a real invitation to explain your morning in detail.
See breakdown →Ce matin
suh mah-TAN
This morning
Ça va ce matin ?
sah vah suh mah-TAN
How are you this morning?
🇫🇷 At the school gate this is usually light small talk. A short answer is the normal rhythm.
See breakdown →Oui
wee
Yes
Merci
mehr-SEE
Thank you
Oui, ça va bien, merci.
wee sah vah bee-AHN mehr-SEE
I'm doing well, thank you.
Et vous ?
ay voo
And you?
💬 [Vous] is the polite or plural [you]. Swap it with [toi] in informal chat: [Et toi ?]
🇫🇷 Between parents who do not know each other well, [Et vous ?] is a safe default. [Et toi ?] can come later if the relationship becomes more relaxed.
See breakdown →Ça va bien.
sah vah bee-AHN
I'm doing well.
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