In this lesson we will talk about countries, nationalities and languages in French. You will learn to say what your nationality is, the names and genders of countries and continents in French, and what languages are spoken in the countries you will learn. I will teach you how to say that you are going to or from a country, continent or city based on the number and gender of the geographical location.
👉 Scroll down to the bottom of this page to watch a video tutorial of this lesson 👈
Countries, continents, languages and nationalities
The thing about nationalities, in French, is that since they’re adjectives (words that describe a person, place, or thing). Adjectives ALWAYS have to agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
F = Feminine
M = Masculine
Most countries that end in the letter E are feminine in French. There are some exceptions.
| Country (French) | Country (English) | Official language(s) | Nationality (feminine form noted unless the m & f forms are the same) |
| l’Afrique du Sud (f) | South Africa | l’afrikaans l’anglais + 11 autres langues | Sud-Africain(e) |
| l’Algérie (f) | Algeria | l’arabe | Algérien(ne) |
| La Belgique (f) | Belgium | le néerlandais le français l’allemand | Belge |
| Le Brésil (m) | Brazil | le portugais | Brésilien(ne) |
| Le Canada (m) | Canada | l’anglais le français | Canadien(ne) |
| La Chine (f) | China | le chinois | Chinois(e) |
| l’Égypte (f) | Egypt | l’arabe | Égyptien(ne) |
| l’Angleterre (f) | England | l’anglais | Anglais(e) |
| La France (f) | France | le français | Français(e) |
| l’Allemagne (f) | Germany | l’allemand | Allemand(e) |
| l’Inde (f) | India | le hindi l’anglais + 20 autres langues | Indien(ne) |
| l’Irlande (f) | Ireland | l’irlandais l’anglais | Irlandais(e) |
| l’Italie (f) | Italy | l’italien | Italien(ne) |
| Le Japon (m) | Japan | le japonais | Japonais(e) |
| Le Mexique (m) *exception, ends in E but is masculine | Mexico | l’espagnol | Mexicain(e) |
| Le Maroc (m) | Morocco | l’arabe le berbère | Marocain(e) |
| Les Pays-Bas (m) | The Netherlands | le néerlandais | Néerlandais(e) |
| La Pologne (f) | Poland | le polonais | Polonais(e) |
| Le Portugal (m) | Portugal | le portugais | Portugais(e) |
| La Russie (f) | Russia | le russe | Russe |
| Le Sénégal (m) | Senegal | le français | Sénégalais(e) |
| l’Espagne (f) | Spain | l’espagnol | Espagnol(e) |
| La Suisse (f) | Switzerland | le français l’italien l’allemand le romanche | Suisse |
| Les États-Unis (m) | The United States | l’anglais l’espagnol *there is no official language in the USA | Américain(e) |
| La Tunisie (f) | Tunisia | l’arabe | Tunisien(ne) |
| La Suède (f) | Sweden | le suédois | Suédois(e) |
Continents
All continents are feminine in French.
| l’Europe (f) | Europe |
| l’Amérique (f) l’Amérique du Nord l’Amérique du Sud | America |
| l’Asie (f) | Asia |
| l’Afrique (f) | Africa |
| l’Océanie (f) | Oceania |
Capitalization of nationalities and languages
➤ Capitalize nationalities when they are used as NOUNS
Les Français aiment le fromage.
➤ Don’t capitalize nationalities when they are used as ADJECTIVES
C’est un passeport suisse.
Il est cubain.
➤ Languages are not capitalized in French.
Je parle français.
Prepositions before geographical locations: Going to
To say you are going to or are in a geographical place:
| AU | In / to a masculine, singular country | AU Japon |
| À | In / to a city *some exceptions apply | À Paris À LA Nouvelle Orléans |
| EN | In / to any feminine, singular country and all continents | EN France EN Europe |
| AUX | In / to any plural country | AUX États-Unis |
Prepositions before geographical locations: Coming from
To say you are coming from or are from a geographical place:
| DU | From a masculine, singular country | DU Maroc |
| DE / D’ | From a city *some exceptions apply | DE Londres DU Caire |
| DE / D’ | From a feminine, singular country and all continents | D’Espagne D’Australie |
| DES | From any plural country | DES Pays-Bas |
➤ Quizlet: Practice the Nationalities
➤ Quizlet: Practice Countries and Continents
➤ Quizlet: Countries and their Nationalities
Quelle est votre nationalité?
To tell someone what your nationality is, you only need a couple of key ingredients:
subject + verb + nationality
ÊTRE
The verb you need to learn to state your nationality in French is ÊTRE.
| Je suis français(e). I am French. | Nous sommes belges. We are Belgian. |
| Tu es anglais(e). You are English. | Vous êtes japonais(e)(s). You are Japanese. |
| Il / Elle / On est suisse. He is / She is / One is (We are) Swiss. | Ils / Elles sont marocain(e)s. They are Moroccan. |
*Note that you still use the verb AVOIR to say things like “I am hungry, I am thirsty, etc.”
*Note that when using the verb «être» with professions, you must omit «un / une» in French: Je suis professeur, not Je suis un professeur.
