When you think of the word for 'teacher' in French, professeur probably comes to mind. And you're right, that's the most common one! But just like in English, where you might say 'instructor,' 'tutor,' or 'coach,' French has a variety of words to describe educators in different contexts.

Whether you're a student heading to France, a parent enrolling your child in a French school, or simply looking to expand your vocabulary, knowing the right word for 'teacher' can be incredibly useful.

Let's dive into the different ways to say 'teacher' in French and understand when to use each one!

1. The standard 'teacher' or 'professor' – professeur

The standard and most versatile word for both ‘teacher’ and ‘professor’ in French is professeur.

Professeur is the go-to term for an educator from middle school (collège) through university (université). It covers almost all teaching roles outside of elementary school.

Traditionally a masculine noun, the feminine form professeure is now widely used and accepted. Here's how it works:

• professeur: A male teacher.
• professeure: A female teacher (modern usage).
• un professeur: Can refer to a male teacher or be used generically.
• une professeur / une professeure: Refers specifically to a female teacher.

The plural forms follow standard French rules:

• professeurs: A group of male or mixed-gender teachers.
• professeures: A group of all-female teachers.

This term is used in both formal and informal contexts to talk about a teacher. It implies a certain level of subject matter expertise, which is why it's not used for elementary school teachers.

Do not confuse professeur with instituteur (masculine) or institutrice (feminine). Those terms are reserved specifically for elementary school (école primaire) teachers.

When speaking directly to a teacher in a classroom setting, you typically do not use the word professeur. Instead, you use Monsieur for a man and Madame for a woman, often followed by their last name in more formal settings. For example: Bonjour Madame Dupont or simply Excusez-moi, Monsieur.

💡 * Mon professeur de physique est très intelligent.

• Elle est une excellente professeure de littérature.
• Les professeurs ont décidé de faire grève.
• Madame, puis-je aller aux toilettes ?
• J'ai rendez-vous avec le professeur Martin demain.

The common abbreviation for 'teacher' – prof

In everyday French, you'll frequently hear a shortened, convenient word for 'teacher' or 'professor'. The term you'll encounter most often is prof.

Prof is the common abbreviation for the formal word professeur. While professeur translates to 'professor', its use in French is much broader, referring to teachers at the middle school (collège), high school (lycée), and university levels.

One of the most useful aspects of prof is its simplicity regarding gender. You simply change the article to match the teacher: le prof for a male teacher and la prof for a female teacher. The plural form for a group of teachers is les profs.

Prof is the go-to term in informal, everyday speech, especially among students talking about their instructors. It's the direct equivalent of saying 'my math teacher' or 'the French teacher' in a casual conversation.

While prof dominates spoken language, the full word professeur is reserved for more formal situations. You would use professeur in official writing or when addressing a teacher directly to show respect, particularly at the university level (e.g., "Bonjour, Madame la Professeure").

This type of shortening is very characteristic of modern French. Similar to how le restaurant can become le resto, using prof instead of professeur will make your French sound more natural and fluent.

💡 * Mon prof de maths est très sympa.

• J'ai oublié mes devoirs pour la prof d'histoire.
• Les profs sont en réunion toute la matinée.
• C'est le meilleur prof que j'ai jamais eu.

The 'primary school teacher' – instituteur/institutrice

When referring to a teacher in French, the specific word used often depends on the educational level. For primary school, the classic and traditional term is instituteur or institutrice.

An instituteur (masculine) or institutrice (feminine) specifically teaches at the primary school level (école primaire or école élémentaire), typically with children aged 6 to 11.

The term changes for gender: un instituteur for a male teacher and une institutrice for a female teacher. The plural forms are des instituteurs (for all-male or mixed groups) and des institutrices (for all-female groups).

While instituteur/institutrice is widely understood, it's considered somewhat traditional. The more modern and official term you'll hear today is professeur des écoles. Both are used, but the latter is more common in current administrative and daily language.

It's crucial to distinguish this from the general word professeur. A professeur (or prof) teaches at a higher level, such as middle school (collège), high school (lycée), or university (université). Using instituteur clearly specifies the teacher works with young children.

💡 * Mon instituteur de CE2 était très sévère. (My third-grade teacher was very strict.)

• L'institutrice a lu une histoire à la classe. (The teacher read a story to the class.)
• Il veut devenir instituteur pour enseigner aux jeunes enfants. (He wants to become a primary school teacher to teach young children.)
• Ma mère était institutrice pendant plus de trente ans. (My mother was a primary school teacher for over thirty years.)

The 'elementary school master/mistress' – maître/maîtresse

In French elementary schools (école primaire), the standard terms for a teacher are maître for a male and maîtresse for a female. These words literally translate to 'master' and 'mistress' but are the dedicated, respectful titles used in this specific educational context.

Students and parents use these terms to refer to and address primary school teachers. For instance, a child would call out, "Maîtresse!" to get their teacher's attention. This is distinct from middle school (collège) and high school (lycée), where professeur (or the informal prof) is used for teachers of any gender.

Be aware that outside of the primary school setting, these words have different meanings. Maître can mean 'master' (e.g., of a pet) or a title for a lawyer, while maîtresse can refer to a pet's female owner or, more archaically, a man's lover. However, within the classroom, the meaning is strictly 'teacher'.

💡 * Bonjour Maître, j'ai terminé mon exercice. (Hello teacher, I finished my exercise.)

• La maîtresse de ma fille est très patiente. (My daughter's teacher is very patient.)
• Maîtresse, puis-je tailler mon crayon ? (Teacher, may I sharpen my pencil?)
• Mon premier maître d'école s'appelait Monsieur Dubois. (My first school teacher was named Mr. Dubois.)

The formal 'educator' – enseignant/enseignante

Enseignant (masculine) and enseignante (feminine) are the formal, professional terms for 'teacher' or 'educator' in French. This word serves as a broad, official title for anyone in the teaching profession.

Unlike more specific terms, enseignant/enseignante can be used for educators at all levels, from preschool and primary school to high school and university. It is the most encompassing term.

This term belongs to a formal and administrative register. You will see it on official documents, in news reports, and when discussing the teaching profession as a whole. In everyday conversation, prof or professeur is often more common.

It is essential to use the correct gender. Use un enseignant when referring to a male teacher and une enseignante for a female teacher. For a plural group, des enseignants is used for all-male or mixed groups, and des enseignantes for all-female groups.

💡 * Ma sœur veut devenir enseignante d'histoire. (My sister wants to become a history teacher.)

• Le gouvernement a annoncé de nouvelles mesures pour les enseignants. (The government announced new measures for teachers.)
• C'est un enseignant très respecté dans son établissement. (He is a very respected teacher in his institution.)
• Une bonne enseignante sait comment motiver ses élèves. (A good teacher knows how to motivate her students.)

The 'trainer' or 'instructor' – formateur/formatrice

In French, the most accurate term for a professional 'trainer' or 'instructor' is formateur (masculine) or formatrice (feminine). These words come from the noun la formation, which means 'training,' specifically in a professional or vocational context.

The use of formateur/formatrice is almost exclusively for professional development and skills acquisition. You would use it for someone leading a corporate workshop, a software training session, or a vocational course. It implies a focus on practical, job-related skills rather than academic knowledge.

It's crucial not to confuse formateur with other similar-sounding words. A professeur is a teacher in an academic setting (high school, university). An entraîneur is a sports coach. A moniteur is an instructor for a specific practical skill like driving (moniteur d'auto-école) or skiing (moniteur de ski). Formateur is reserved for the professional world.

In short, if you're talking about someone whose job is to train employees or teach adults specific professional skills, formateur or formatrice is the perfect word. It conveys expertise and a focus on practical application in a work environment.

💡 * Notre formateur en leadership était très inspirant. (Our leadership trainer was very inspiring.)

• La formatrice nous a appris à utiliser le nouveau système de gestion. (The instructor taught us how to use the new management system.)
• Je vais suivre une formation avec une formatrice spécialisée en communication. (I am going to attend a training session with an instructor specializing in communication.)
• Le formateur a distribué les manuels au début de la session. (The trainer handed out the manuals at the beginning of the session.)

The 'instructor' for a specific skill – moniteur/monitrice

For an instructor who teaches a specific, practical skill rather than an academic subject, the correct French terms are un moniteur (male) and une monitrice (female).

This title is used for instructors in specific activities. Common examples include a driving instructor (moniteur d'auto-école), a ski instructor (moniteur de ski), a sailing instructor (moniteur de voile), or a summer camp counselor (moniteur de colonie de vacances).

It is crucial to match the word to the instructor's gender. Use moniteur when referring to a man and monitrice when referring to a woman. This distinction is not optional in French.

💡 * Mon moniteur d'auto-école m'a dit que je conduisais bien. (My driving instructor told me I drive well.)

• La monitrice de ski est très expérimentée et patiente avec les débutants. (The ski instructor is very experienced and patient with beginners.)
• Il a travaillé comme moniteur dans une colonie de vacances cet été. (He worked as a counselor at a summer camp this summer.)

The 'university lecturer' – chargé de cours/chargée de cours

The 'university lecturer' – un chargé de cours / une chargée de cours

In the French academic system, a chargé de cours (masculine) or chargée de cours (feminine) refers to a university lecturer. This position is typically non-tenured and contractual, focusing primarily on teaching one or more specific courses for a semester or academic year.

It's important to distinguish this role from a tenured professor (professeur or professeur titulaire), who usually has research responsibilities in addition to teaching. The title chargé de cours specifically highlights the teaching assignment.

This term is standard and formal within higher education in France, Québec, and other French-speaking regions. You'll frequently encounter it on university websites, course syllabi, and in academic correspondence.

💡 * Mon frère est chargé de cours en sociologie à l'université. (My brother is a sociology lecturer at the university.)

• La nouvelle chargée de cours est très appréciée par ses étudiants. (The new lecturer (female) is very popular with her students.)
• J'ai postulé pour un poste de chargé de cours en littérature française. (I applied for a position as a lecturer in French literature.)

The 'private tutor' – tuteur/tutrice

The most direct way to say 'private tutor' in French is tuteur for a male and tutrice for a female. These terms specifically refer to someone who provides individual academic support or instruction outside of a formal classroom setting.

While tuteur and tutrice are correct, you will very frequently hear professeur particulier (male) or professeure particulière (female). This literally translates to 'private teacher' and is often used interchangeably with tuteur/tutrice to describe someone giving private lessons.

It's important to note that tuteur or tutrice can also mean 'guardian' or 'legal guardian' (tuteur légal). To avoid any confusion, especially in formal contexts, professeur particulier is often the clearer and safer choice to specify an academic tutor for hire.

💡 * Mes parents ont engagé un tuteur pour m'aider en mathématiques. (My parents hired a tutor to help me with math.)

• Sa tutrice de français est excellente. (His French tutor is excellent.)
• Je prends des cours avec un professeur particulier de guitare. (I'm taking lessons with a private guitar tutor.)
• La professeure particulière vient chez nous tous les mardis. (The private tutor comes to our house every Tuesday.)

Are there other ways to say 'teacher' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'teacher' in French?

Our guide has covered the most essential terms for 'teacher' in French, from the general professeur to the primary school maître or maîtresse. But the French language, with its rich history in education, has more to offer, including formal titles and specific academic roles.

For more specialized fields, you can search online for phrases like 'comment dire professeur de [subject]' or 'titres académiques en France' to discover terms for university lecturers, tutors, and mentors.

Remember that context is key. A professeur des universités holds a specific high rank, which is very different from an instituteur in an elementary school. Always verify a term's specific meaning and context before using it.

As you immerse yourself in French culture by watching films like Les Choristes or reading books set in schools, pay close attention to how characters address their educators. This will give you a natural feel for the correct terminology.

If you want to delve deeper into academic and educational vocabulary, the Larousse dictionary entry for professeur is an excellent starting point for exploring related terms and their nuances.

We hope this guide has been a valuable lesson! To conclude, let's remember a poignant thought from Victor Hugo: Celui qui ouvre une porte d'école, ferme une prison. (He who opens a school door, closes a prison.) It perfectly captures the profound importance of teachers in any language.