Learn French: L'école commence en automne.

L'école commence en automne.

School starts in autumn.

Breakdown of L'école commence en automne.

the autumn, the fall (m)

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Questions & Answers about L'école commence en automne.

Why is there an article (L') before école when English just says 'School'?

In French, you must use a definite article (le, la, l', or les) when talking about things in a general sense. English drops the article and just says 'School', but French requires l'école.

Why do we use en for 'in autumn'? Can I use dans?

No, dans usually means physically inside something. For seasons, French uses en if the season starts with a vowel sound: en automne (in autumn), en été (in summer), and en hiver (in winter). The only exception is spring, which uses au printemps.

How is automne pronounced? Do I sound out the 'm'?

No, the 'm' in automne is silent! You pronounce the second syllable just like the word 'tonne'.

Does the verb commencer (to start) have any special spelling rules?

In this sentence, l'école commence follows standard regular verb rules. However, because it ends in -cer, you have to watch out for the 'we' form. It takes a cedilla (ç) to keep the soft 'c' sound: nous commençons.