[General] Did you have the final today?

[Silverobama]

Hi.

I walked by a primary school and I saw three students buying snacks from a street vendor. I wanted to know if they had taken the final exams so I asked one of them "Did you have the final today"? Is my italic sentence natural?

 

[teechar]

I wanted to know if they had taken the final exams so I asked one of them "Did you have the final today"? Is my italic sentence natural?

If you're asking about one exam, then yes.

 

[Silverobama]

If you're asking about one exam, then yes.

No. I wanted to ask if they had all the exams taken today. Usually when all the final exams are taken, it means the beginning of the summer vocation.

Is my following new question natural?

Did you have the finals today?

 

[teechar]

If you're talking about several exams, use "finals".

 

[Silverobama]

If you're talking about several exams, use "finals".

Got it. Are there any changes do I need to make to the sentence "Did you have the finals today"? Or it's okay as it stands. I think maybe "Did you take the finals today?" is better.

 

[Rover_KE]

In the UK, primary school children would have no idea what you were talking aboout. Only colleges and universities here have finals (final exams). Schoolchildren take standard attainment tests (SATs) at prescribed times. Secondary school pupils take GCSEs before leaving school, and they are spread over many days—not just one.

One more point, don't be surprised if children ignore you—we drum into them from an early age the dangers of talking to strangers.

 

[Silverobama]

In the UK, primary school children would have no idea what you were talking aboout. Only colleges and universities here have finals (final exams). Schoolchildren take standard attainment tests (SATs) at prescribed times. Secondary school pupils take GCSEs before leaving school, and they are spread over many days—not just one.

One more point, don't be surprised if children ignore you—we drum into them from an early age the dangers of talking to strangers.

Got it, Rover. Usually in such a situation, there's another way to ask the question by not mentioning the final exams. How about "When do you start spending your summer vacation"? Is it natural to ask the question if it's okay to ask the students here. It is okay to ask them here.

 

[GoesStation]

Usually in such a situation, there's another way to ask the question by not mentioning the final exams. How about "When do you start [STRIKE]spending[/STRIKE] your summer vacation"? Is it natural to ask the question if it's okay to ask the students here. It is okay to ask them here.

It's OK if you strike "spending". You could also ask "When does your summer vacation begin?"

 

[emsr2d2]

If you want to have any chance of a response, you need to be more casual.

Hey guys! Finished your exams yet? School holidays started yet?

 

[teechar]

Finished your exams yet? School holidays started yet?

Those are good, but use one or the other, not the two of them in succession.

 

[emsr2d2]

Those are good, but use one or the other, not the two of them in succession.

I agree with you if the last exam also signals the start of the school holidays. When I took my 'O' Levels (the exams in the UK we took at the age of 16 in those days), I had my last exam in mid-June but the school holidays didn't start until early July. I had to go into school for about three weeks after taking my last exam. For the life of me, I can't remember what we did but I know that our last day (when we had a party and didn't have to wear school uniform) was on the same day as the rest of the school finished for the year.