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French Phrase

Les cours varient, généralement entre 15 et 30 personnes.

/le kuʁ va.ʁi, ʒe.ne.ʁal.mɑ̃ ɑ̃tʁ kɛ̃z e tʁɑ̃t pɛʁ.sɔn/
Meaning"The classes vary, generally between 15 and 30 people."
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Meaning

This phrase describes the typical size range of classes or groups. It indicates that the exact number isn't fixed but falls within a specified minimum and maximum. It's a common way to give an estimate for group sizes.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you need to provide an approximate range for the number of participants in a class, meeting, or any group activity. It's suitable for explaining class sizes in educational settings, workshop capacities, or team sizes.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Les coursvarient,généralemententre15et30personnes.

1

Les cours (The classes)

'Les' is the definite plural article. 'Cours' is a masculine noun that can be singular or plural, meaning 'course' or 'class'. Here, it's plural.

2

Varient (Vary)

This is the third-person plural conjugation of the verb 'varier' (to vary) in the present tense. It agrees with the plural subject 'Les cours'.

3

Généralement (Generally)

This is an adverb indicating that something is true in most cases or typically. Many adverbs in French are formed by adding '-ment' to the feminine form of an adjective.

4

Entre...et (Between...and)

This construction is used to express a range or interval between two numbers or items. It's very common for giving estimates or specifying boundaries.

5

15 et 30 (15 and 30)

These are cardinal numbers. 'Et' means 'and' and connects the two numbers to form the range.

6

Personnes (People)

This is a feminine plural noun meaning 'people' or 'persons'. It's used here to specify the unit of measurement for the class size.

🗨In Conversation

A

Combien d'élèves y a-t-il dans vos cours de français?

How many students are there in your French classes?

Les cours varient, généralement entre 15 et 30 personnes.

The classes vary, generally between 15 and 30 people.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Les cours varient, généralement de 15 à 30 personnes.

    While 'de...à' can be used for ranges, 'entre...et' is the standard and most natural construction for 'between X and Y' with numbers in French.

  • Les cours varient, généralement autour de 15 et 30 personnes.

    'Autour de' means 'around' and is used with a single approximate number, not to connect two numbers in a range with 'et'.

↔Alternatives

  • La taille des classes est généralement de 15 à 30 personnes.

    The class size is generally from 15 to 30 people.

  • Il y a habituellement entre 15 et 30 élèves par cours.

    There are usually between 15 and 30 students per class.

  • Le nombre d'étudiants par classe fluctue, mais c'est souvent entre 15 et 30.

    The number of students per class fluctuates, but it's often between 15 and 30.

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Cultural Tip

In France, class sizes can vary significantly depending on the type of institution (public vs. private), level of education (primary, secondary, university), and subject. University lectures might have hundreds, while language classes or specialized workshops are often smaller, making this phrase very relevant for describing typical group learning environments.