English speaking room

JennyAtl писал(а):

And about universities and colleges: they do not say 1-course student, but first year student or even freshman, 2-year student or sophomo

Fully agree. As for your friends, they do live in America so it's but natural for them to use words Americans use.
What about the word form, being a teacher of English, not a native speaker I confide in dictionaries more than in people speaking English. You know that even in various parts of the country one and the same thing can be named differently.
This is what the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English says: "form is a class in a British school, and in some American schools. Form and grade are synonyms though in the USA the second one is preferable. May be that's why the New American Webster Handy College Dictionary (I brought it from the USA too) gives the following definition: some of the devisions of a school course; also, the pupils in any of these devisions. You are quite right to say that the word form isn't used in this context in American English. At least there's none in the dictionary mentioned above.Upon my word I don't mean to teach anyone who doesn't need it. I'm interested in everything dealing with the language. So thank you for the information.