You can watch above English Class 101 video series episode 8. In this lesson you are going to learn how to ask someone where they went to school or college. Asking someone this question is a good small talk question and conversation starter.
However you have to be careful not to offend people if they didn’t go to college. We will tell you how to do this. The question is simple. If the other person is over 22, it’s likely they will have left college already. So you ask using the past tense.
Where did you go to college?
You could also say: “Where did you go to school?” In American English, depending on context “school” often meens the same as “college”. If the other person is British or European however, they are more likely to say: “Where did you go to the university?”. The answer to this question is really easy. All you say is: “I went to (university), in (city)”.
You can see full text of the lesson in the video as subtitle. So, i higly recommend you to watch above video a few times to learn more about the subject. You can also Alisha’s very useful advice at the end of the lesson.
Useful phrases about school and university
| Phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| Where did you go to school / college? | Asking about someone’s education (past) |
| What did you study? / What was your major? | Subject (major = American English) |
| I graduated from … in 2018. | Finished university |
| I’m in my second year. | Still studying |
| I didn’t go to college – I started working. | Natural, honest answer |
American vs. British English
- US: school can mean university; college = university.
- UK: school = before 18; university (uni) = higher education; college is often a further-education college.
Practice
Answer the question about yourself, then ask a follow-up: Did you enjoy it? or What was it like?
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