Enrol a child at school, open a bank account and get a RIB, and buy and validate transport tickets.
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Three everyday systems complete your autonomy: enrolling children at school, opening a bank account, and getting around. This lesson gives you the words and requests for each.
Grammar focus: Everyday services: school, bank and transport. Work through the explanations and tables below, study the real examples, then lock the structures in with the interactive drills, the writing task, and the speaking task.
Grammar focus
Three everyday systems complete your autonomy: enrolling children at school, opening a bank account, and getting around. School is compulsory from 3 to 16; you enrol at the mairie. A bank account comes with a RIB you give to your employer and the CAF. Public transport runs on tickets, passes and validation.
These are the routine errands of life in France.
The school path is maternelle (3–6), élémentaire (6–11), collège (11–15) and lycée (15–18). A RIB carries your IBAN and BIC for transfers and direct debits (prélèvements). On transport you must validate (composter) your ticket.
| French | English | Service |
|---|---|---|
| l’inscription à la mairie | enrolment at the town hall | school |
| la maternelle / le collège | nursery / lower secondary | school |
| le RIB (IBAN, BIC) | bank details for transfers | bank |
| le prélèvement automatique | direct debit | bank |
| un abonnement | a travel pass | transport |
| valider / composter | to validate a ticket | transport |
You will enrol a child, ask for a RIB, and buy or validate a ticket.
Enrolling a child directly at the school without the mairie step.
Start enrolment at the mairie, which assigns the school, then finalise with the school.
Skipping the mairie step delays the child’s place.
Not validating (composter) a regional train or bus ticket.
Validate before boarding when required; keep the validated ticket.
An unvalidated ticket can lead to a fine (une amende) during a check.
Bonjour. Vous venez pour une inscription scolaire ?
Hello. Are you here for a school enrolment?
Bonjour. Oui, je voudrais inscrire ma fille à la maternelle.
Hello. Yes, I would like to enrol my daughter in nursery school.
Il faut un justificatif de domicile et le livret de famille.
You need a proof of address and the family record book.
Très bien. Et pour la banque, je dois ouvrir un compte pour la cantine.
Very good. And for the bank, I have to open an account for the canteen.
Oui, on vous demandera un RIB pour le prélèvement.
Yes, they will ask you for a RIB for the direct debit.
D’accord, merci pour ces informations.
All right, thank you for the information.
Aujourd'hui, on réutilise l’inscription et la mairie pour préparer une démarche réelle.
Today, we reuse l’inscription and la mairie to prepare a real administrative step.
Je prépare d'abord mes documents, puis je pose une question simple au guichet.
I prepare my documents first, then I ask a simple question at the counter.
Très bien. Note la réponse et vérifie le prochain rendez-vous ou le document manquant.
Very good. Note the answer and check the next appointment or the missing document.
Si je ne comprends pas, je demande : « Vous pouvez répéter plus lentement, s'il vous plaît ? »
If I do not understand, I ask: "Could you repeat more slowly, please?"
L’école est obligatoire de trois à seize ans. Pour inscrire un enfant, on commence à la mairie, avec un justificatif de domicile et le livret de famille. L’école passe par la maternelle, l’élémentaire, le collège, puis le lycée.
Pour la vie quotidienne, on ouvre un compte bancaire ; la banque donne un RIB avec l’IBAN et le BIC. On donne ce RIB à son employeur et à la CAF, et on met en place des prélèvements automatiques pour le loyer ou la cantine. Pour les transports, on achète un billet ou un abonnement. Avec un billet papier régional, il faut composter avant de monter, sinon on risque une amende ; les e-billets, eux, n’ont pas besoin d’être compostés.
Le passage montre comment ce sujet gagne en clarté quand la chronologie reste visible a chaque étape. Le lecteur ne suit pas seulement une suite d'actions; il suit une progression ou chaque repère temporel aide à comprendre ce qui s'est passe, ce qui a change et pourquoi certains détails meritent d'être retenus.
Turn this lesson into active recall: drill the vocabulary with spaced repetition, then test yourself on meaning and comprehension.
Write a short message to the mairie asking how to enrol your child and which documents are needed. Build the response around a clear line of interpretation or synthesis, then revise it once for register, proportion, precision, and evidence balance before you compare it with the support notes.
Role-play opening a bank account: say what you want and ask which documents are required. Build the oral response around a clear line of interpretation or synthesis, then revise the order of your points so the listener can follow the stance, support, and closing without guesswork.
Enrolling a child directly at the school without the mairie step.
Start enrolment at the mairie, which assigns the school, then finalise with the school.
Skipping the mairie step delays the child’s place.
Not validating (composter) a regional train or bus ticket.
Validate before boarding when required; keep the validated ticket.
An unvalidated ticket can lead to a fine (une amende) during a check.
