In 15 Seconds
- Physical act of going around a school.
- Used for giving directions.
- Not about attending school.
- Focuses on navigation.
Meaning
This phrase is about the physical action of moving around or passing by a school building. Think of it like navigating your way through a town and needing to go around the school. It’s a very practical, directional phrase, often used when you're giving someone directions or describing a route.
Key Examples
3 of 12Texting a friend for directions
Tu vois le grand bâtiment rouge? Il faut `tourner la école` et continuer tout droit.
See the big red building? You have to go around the school and continue straight.
Describing a walk to a child
On va faire une promenade. On va passer devant la boulangerie, puis on `tourne la école`.
We're going for a walk. We'll pass the bakery, then we'll go around the school.
Giving directions in a new city
Pour arriver à la bibliothèque, vous `tournerez la école` et prendrez la deuxième à gauche.
To arrive at the library, you will go around the school and take the second left.
Cultural Background
Schools are central landmarks. Similar usage. Standard French usage. Standard French usage.
Prepositions
Always use 'autour de'.
In 15 Seconds
- Physical act of going around a school.
- Used for giving directions.
- Not about attending school.
- Focuses on navigation.
What It Means
This phrase, tourner la école, literally means 'to turn the school'. But in French, it's not about making the building itself spin! It describes the action of moving past or around a school building. Imagine you're walking or driving and the school is a landmark you need to navigate. You're not going *into* the school, but rather, you're turning at its corner or going around its perimeter. It's a very common way to give directions in a neighborhood.
How To Use It
You use tourner la école when you're describing a physical path. It's about spatial orientation. You'd say it when someone needs to make a turn near a school or pass by its side. It’s a simple, direct instruction. Think of it like saying 'turn at the school' or 'go around the school building'. It's super practical for everyday navigation. Don't overthink it; it's just about the movement relative to the school's location.
Real-Life Examples
- "Pour aller à la poste, vous allez tout droit et vous
tournez la écoleà droite." (To go to the post office, you go straight and turn at the school on the right.) - "J'ai vu Marie quand je
tournais la écolece matin." (I saw Marie when I was passing by the school this morning.) - "Le chemin le plus court est de
tourner la écoleet de prendre la rue derrière."
(The shortest way is to go around the school and take the street behind it.)
When To Use It
Use tourner la école when you're giving directions. It's perfect for telling someone how to get somewhere. You might use it when describing a walk, a bike ride, or a drive. It's also useful if you're recounting a route you took. If the school is a key point for navigation, this phrase fits perfectly. It’s like saying, 'Hey, make your move relative to that school building!'
When NOT To Use It
Don't use tourner la école if you mean to enroll in a school. That's a whole different ballgame! It's also not for discussing the educational system or school policies. If you mean to 'turn into' a student, you'd use a phrase like s'inscrire à l'école. This phrase is strictly about physical movement. So, if you're talking about homework or grades, tourner la école is a no-go. It would be as confusing as asking a GPS to 'turn the highway'.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse this with the idea of 'turning into' a student or changing schools. Another common mix-up is using it when they mean 'to go to school' in general. The physical aspect is key here! It's not about the act of education itself.
Je veux tourner la école cette année.
✓Je veux aller à l'école cette année. (I want to go to school this year.)
Il tourne la école pour devenir médecin.
✓Il étudie pour devenir médecin. (He studies to become a doctor.)
Similar Expressions
passer devant l'école: To pass in front of the school. This is very similar, focusing on moving past the facade.prendre la rue de l'école: To take the school's street. This implies using the street adjacent to the school.faire le tour de l'école: To go around the school. This is almost identical, emphasizing a full circuit.
Common Variations
Sometimes, you might hear tourner *à* l'école (turn *at* the school) or tourner *près de* l'école (turn *near* the school). These are subtle variations that emphasize the exact point of the turn. Tourner la école is the most direct way to describe navigating *around* the building's presence.
Memory Trick
Imagine a giant, friendly school bus named 'École'. To get to your friend's house, you have to tourner (turn) the bus *around* 'École' itself. You're not turning *into* the bus, but navigating your path *around* it. So, tourner la école = turn around the school building! Easy peasy, right?
Quick FAQ
Q. Does tourner la école mean I'm enrolling?
A. No, absolutely not! It’s about physical movement. Think of it as a landmark for directions, not a place for enrollment. You'd use s'inscrire for that.
Q. Can I use it to mean 'go to school'?
A. Not really. Aller à l'école means 'to go to school' in the sense of attending classes. Tourner la école is purely about navigating past it.
Usage Notes
This phrase is primarily used for giving directions and describing physical movement. It's quite neutral in formality, making it suitable for most everyday conversations. Be careful not to confuse it with phrases about attending school (`aller à l'école`) or enrolling (`s'inscrire à l'école`), as this is a common pitfall for learners.
Prepositions
Always use 'autour de'.
Examples
12Tu vois le grand bâtiment rouge? Il faut `tourner la école` et continuer tout droit.
See the big red building? You have to go around the school and continue straight.
Here, `tourner la école` clearly indicates a turn to navigate around the school building.
On va faire une promenade. On va passer devant la boulangerie, puis on `tourne la école`.
We're going for a walk. We'll pass the bakery, then we'll go around the school.
This uses the phrase to describe a route during a casual walk.
Pour arriver à la bibliothèque, vous `tournerez la école` et prendrez la deuxième à gauche.
To arrive at the library, you will go around the school and take the second left.
This is a clear, neutral directional instruction.
Super balade à vélo aujourd'hui ! J'ai même dû `tourner la école` pour trouver un nouveau chemin. 🚴♀️ #vélo #exploration
Great bike ride today! I even had to go around the school to find a new path. 🚴♀️ #biking #exploration
Used casually to describe a navigational choice during an activity.
Okay guys, so we just passed the park, and the next landmark is the school. We need to `tourner la école` here to get to the hidden café!
Okay guys, so we just passed the park, and the next landmark is the school. We need to go around the school here to get to the hidden café!
Perfect for a travel vlogger explaining a route.
Mon trajet quotidien implique de `tourner la école` près de chez moi pour éviter le trafic.
My daily commute involves going around the school near my home to avoid traffic.
Used in a professional context to describe a routine.
✗ J'ai décidé de `tourner la école` l'année prochaine pour mes études supérieures. → ✓ J'ai décidé d'aller à l'école l'année prochaine pour mes études supérieures.
✗ I decided to turn the school next year for my higher education. → ✓ I decided to go to school next year for my higher education.
This mistake confuses physical navigation with the act of attending.
✗ Pour aller chez toi, je dois tourner *dans* la école. → ✓ Pour aller chez toi, je dois tourner *à* l'école / faire le tour de l'école.
✗ To go to your place, I have to turn *in* the school. → ✓ To go to your place, I have to turn *at* the school / go around the school.
Using `dans` (in) instead of the correct directional context.
J'étais tellement perdu hier, j'ai cru que j'allais devoir `tourner la école` trois fois avant de trouver la bonne rue !
I was so lost yesterday, I thought I'd have to go around the school three times before finding the right street!
Exaggerated for comedic effect, highlighting being very lost.
Quand j'étais petit, j'adorais `tourner la école` en vélo, c'était ma petite aventure quotidienne.
When I was little, I loved going around the school on my bike, it was my little daily adventure.
Evokes a nostalgic feeling about a childhood routine.
Le GPS dit de `tourner la école` et de prendre la rue suivante. On va voir !
The GPS says to go around the school and take the next street. Let's see!
Directly quoting or interpreting GPS instructions.
Juste après le feu, vous verrez l'école. Vous `tournez la école` et ma maison est la troisième sur la gauche.
Just after the light, you'll see the school. You go around the school and my house is the third on the left.
Clear, concise directions for a service provider.
Test Yourself
Complete the sentence.
Il faut ______ autour de l'école.
The verb 'tourner' is required for this collocation.
🎉 Score: /1
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
1 exercisesIl faut ______ autour de l'école.
The verb 'tourner' is required for this collocation.
🎉 Score: /1
Video Tutorials
Find video tutorials on YouTube for this phrase.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 questionsNo, it is grammatically incorrect.
Related Phrases
Faire le tour
synonymTo go around
