Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon cahier.

I write down everything the teacher says in my notebook.

Breakdown of Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon cahier.

• je: I
• mon: my
• dans: in
• tout: everything
• dire: to say
• le professeur: the teacher
• ce que: what
• noter: to write down
• le cahier: the notebook

Questions & Answers about Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon cahier.

What exactly does note mean here, and how is it different from écris or prends des notes?

In Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon cahier, the verb noter means to write down / to jot down / to take note of.

• noter: to record information, often briefly or from something you hear or read.

  • Je note l’adresse. = I’m writing the address down.

• écrire: to write in general (letters, essays, stories, etc.).

  • J’écris une lettre. = I’m writing a letter.
    Using J’écris tout ce que le professeur dit is correct, but it sounds more like “I write” rather than specifically “I take notes”.

• prendre des notes: the most common expression for taking notes in class.

  • Je prends des notes en cours. = I take notes in class.

So Je note… is natural and correct, but Je prends des notes sur tout ce que le professeur dit is also very idiomatic in a school context.

Why is it dit and not dis or dites?

Dit is the present tense, 3rd person singular of dire (to say) and it has to agree with the subject le professeur:

• Je dis – I say
• Tu dis – You say (singular, informal)
• Il / elle / on dit – He / she / one says
• Nous disons – We say
• Vous dites – You say (plural/formal)
• Ils / elles disent – They say

In the sentence, the subject of dit is le professeur (he/she), so you must use dit:

• le professeur dit = the teacher says

Dis would match je or tu, and dites would match vous, so they wouldn’t fit here.

If I want to say “I wrote down everything the teacher said”, how should I change the sentence?

You need to put both verbs in the past:

• J’ai noté tout ce que le professeur a dit dans mon cahier.
  = I wrote down everything the teacher said in my notebook.

Changes:

• Je note → J’ai noté (present → passé composé with avoir)
• le professeur dit → le professeur a dit (present → passé composé)

The structure tout ce que stays exactly the same; only the tenses change.

Why do we say tout ce que and not tout que or just ce que?

The expression tout ce que is a fixed structure meaning everything that.

• tout = all / everything
• ce que = that which / what (when it is the direct object of the verb)

You cannot say tout que in French; ce is required.

Compare:

• Je note ce que le professeur dit.
  = I write down what the teacher says. (not necessarily all of it)
• Je note tout ce que le professeur dit.
  = I write down everything that the teacher says. (all of it)

So tout adds the idea of completeness (everything), and ce que is the connector that / what.

What is the difference between ce que and ce qui, and why is it ce que here?

Both ce que and ce qui can mean what / that which, but they are used differently:

• ce qui is used when it is the subject of the verb that follows.

  • Je comprends ce qui se passe.
    = I understand what is happening.
    (what is doing the action “is happening”)

• ce que is used when it is the direct object of the verb that follows.

  • Je comprends ce que tu dis.
    = I understand what you’re saying.
    (what receives the action “you’re saying (it)”)

In Je note tout ce que le professeur dit:

• The subject of dit is le professeur.
• ce que refers to what the professor says, so it is the direct object of dit.

Therefore, it must be ce que, not ce qui.

Could we just say Je note ce que le professeur dit without tout? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can say Je note ce que le professeur dit, and it is grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:

• Je note ce que le professeur dit.
  = I write down what the teacher says.
  (Neutral: simply states what you do, no idea of “all of it”.)

• Je note tout ce que le professeur dit.
  = I write down everything that the teacher says.
  (Insists on the idea that you write all of it, nothing is omitted.)

So tout adds emphasis on the completeness of your notes.

Why is it le professeur and not mon professeur? Are both possible?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

• le professeur = the teacher (the one in this situation / in this class)
  Very natural in French to talk about a teacher in context, even if it’s your teacher.

• mon professeur = my teacher
  Puts a bit more emphasis on the fact that the teacher is yours (your teacher, not someone else’s).

French often uses the definite article le / la in places where English would use my / your. In a classroom context, le professeur often means “the teacher of this class”, and everybody knows which teacher that is.

So:

• Je note tout ce que le professeur dit…
• Je note tout ce que mon professeur dit…

Both are correct; the original sentence simply uses the more neutral le professeur.

How do I refer to a female teacher here? Do I need to change professeur?

In practice:

• The word professeur is grammatically masculine, even for a woman.
• You can have une professeur (feminine article) but the noun itself usually stays professeur.

So you would normally say:

• Je note tout ce que la professeur dit dans mon cahier. (more and more common) or
• Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon cahier. (still widely used, even for a woman; agreement will show the gender elsewhere if needed)

Colloquially, people often use:

• la prof for a female teacher
• le prof for a male teacher

For example:

• Je note tout ce que la prof dit dans mon cahier.

So you don’t need a different noun; context or the article (le / la) tells you the gender.

Why is it dans mon cahier and not sur mon cahier?

In French, when you write in a notebook, you naturally say dans (in/inside):

• dans mon cahier = inside my notebook

Sur means on (the surface of), so sur mon cahier would mean physically on top of the notebook, not inside it.

Compare:

• J’écris dans mon cahier. = I write in my notebook (on the pages).
• Le stylo est sur mon cahier. = The pen is on my notebook (lying on it).

So Je note… dans mon cahier is the normal way to say in my notebook.

What exactly is a cahier? Is it just any notebook, and could I say carnet instead?

A cahier is typically a school notebook: a bound set of lined (often ruled) pages used for class notes, exercises, etc. It’s the default word for notebook in a school context.

Other words:

• carnet: a smaller notebook, often pocket-sized (a notepad, a little notebook for notes, addresses, etc.).
• bloc-notes: a pad of paper, often glued at the top, used for quick notes.

You could say:

• Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon carnet.

That is grammatically correct, but it would suggest a small personal notebook, not a typical school notebook. In a classroom setting, cahier is the most natural word.

In English, to note can also mean to notice. Does noter also mean to notice in French?

Yes, noter can have both meanings, but the context changes the interpretation:

1. to write down / to take note of (as in the original sentence):

   • Je note tout ce que le professeur dit dans mon cahier.
     = I write down everything the teacher says in my notebook.

2. to notice / to observe / to remark:

   • J’ai noté qu’il était en retard.
     = I noticed that he was late.
   • Je note une amélioration.
     = I notice an improvement.

In the original sentence, the presence of dans mon cahier clearly shows the meaning to write down, not to notice.