However, they do not…. Note that in French, countries, continents, regions and states are either feminine, masculine or plural. As I said, Madagascar is not used with an article. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There are few female high officers, 2.9% (1,202 women), with a dozen female colonels as of 2010 and the first female general appointed in October 2018. 2. Nous sommes à la Nouvelle Orleans. I found this helpful , it was well explained. I hope this helps . The Gender of Countries, Nationalities and Cities in French #The gender of countries : which article ? Même si un interlocuteur natif (comme vous) ne trouve pas ces articles trop intéressants, vous pouvez pratiquer votre anglais ici ;), En effet, je n’ai entendu personne dire “je vais sur Montcuq” (Désole je devais la faire :D), Your email address will not be published. As a general guideline, geographical names which end in e are feminine, while those that end in any other letter are masculine. (I live in France) Tu vas en Chine. le Mexique (Mexico) However, if we need to use an adjective to describe Madagascar, because French adjectives must agree with the noun, we need to put the feminine form of the adjective. You now know what gender are countries of the world in French. But determining gender isn’t always that logical, especially […] When a French noun describes a live being, its gender (masculine or feminine) often reflects the gender of the being in question. Español: Género de los nombres de los países en francés: en verde masculinos, en morado femeninos. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Let’s make sure there is no confusion, French spelling can be tricky, and not only for people learning the language. But it’s long, and we’re lazy… So most of the time, the French will only say “Les États-Unis”, just like you’d say “The United States” in English. We’re going to move to the vicinity of Paris. 6) When referring to a country that is plural, use aux 3) When referring to a feminine country use en In a few colloquial instances you can use the preposition sur when talking about a city in a larger context or when using the city as a point of reference while remaining uncertain about exactly where you’ll be around the city. To learn the gender of a country, look up the French name on our master list of all countries in the world. Thanks again. Thank you for becoming a member. Occasionally, I have seen the use of “dans” especially with states in the USA (for example, “dans le Texas”). In the United States, there are many problems. If you’re ever uncertain about an island’s gender then be proactive now and research it online. What you need to know about the names of countries in French is that they normally come with a definite article (masculine or feminine). The preposition depends on the gender of the country you’re trying to talk about. This is because it is an island, une île, so we keep the same gender to talk about it as the gender used for île, i.e. When learning French, you usually learn the name of a number of countries fairly early and then build up on your first list of countries as time goes on. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. I hope this is of help Thanks again for your contribution. The preposition depends on the gender of the country you’re trying to talk about. Learn how your comment data is processed. Vous allez en Chine demain. Places ending in “S” ar… Remember these 6 countries: Some regions or countries take their name after a common noun. French is the only official language for 13 of these countries and the co-official language in 16 countries. We are in New Orleans. When evoking the names of countries in French, you will usually use a definite French masculine, feminine or plural article (le / la / les) to go with it. To me, it sounds masculine, and the Wiktionary agrees with me. French is spoken is many countries all over the world. Ships also are sometimes referred to as "she", even if they're named after men, like the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald in the famous song (1975) by Gordon Lightfoot. Places ending in a consonant = masculine = use “au”Je vais au Japon. But now, you are wondering, how can you know, which countries are feminine and which are masculine, la France, l’Angleterre, la Chine, l’Argentine, l’Algérie, la Colombie, la Mauritanie, l’Inde, le Nigéria, le Brésil, le Canada, le Japon, le Danemark, le Maroc, le Liban, le Pakistan, le Pérou, Of course, since we are talking about the French language, there are a few. Le liberia, le Mali, le Togo, le Vanuatu, le Niger, le Japon, etc. “Les États-Unis d’Amérique” is the most precise translation used for ‘United States of America’. In this sentence située is in the feminine form. Your tremendous support helps FrenchCrazy provide access to French learners across the globe. The good news is that French words can have only two genders : masculine or feminine. feminine. This is a simple sentence, some part of which is often used when meeting people in international contexts, but which in French can sometimes seem complicated to English speakers because of the grammar rules regarding prepositions (in, to, from) and the confusion about how countries can be either masculine or feminine and some plural. Ukraine shows better results in military gender equality than countries like Norway (7%) or United Kingdom (9%). As a general rule, countries that end in -e are feminine: Of course, since we are talking about the French language, there are a few exceptions. Learning the French names for countries is relatively easy if you are already … Now that you know if the name of a country is masculine or feminine, make sure you know what preposition to use in front of it. You'll notice that nearly all countries that end in e are feminine, and the rest are masculine. So we just say “Madagascar”. Some countries of Nord and South America are spelled the same way in both languages such as Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, and for Haiti the only difference is that in French it has the trema sing (ï). le Mozambique (Republic of Mozambique) I’m going up to New York for the holidays. 2) When referring to a city with an article use à + article These are named after the common noun –état (state), pays (country), île (island, isle)– and the countries in question are a set of various states, lands or islands, hence the use of the plural. There are just a few exceptions: This is an online quiz called The gender of countries in French There is a printable worksheet available for download here so you can take the quiz with pen and paper. Cities and countries don't have gender in English. Like all French nouns, geographical names like countries, states, and provinces have a gender. It is worthy to note that all the continents in French are feminine in gender (except for l'Antarctique, which is masculine) and use the preposition en for ''in'' or ''to.'' Countries, nationalities and adjectives. Get the best of Sporcle when you Go Orange.This ad-free experience offers more features, more stats, and more fun while also helping to support Sporcle. Makes sense? I love people in France. The United States are masculine because Estados Unidos is masculine. African countries in French Knowing what gender a country or a place is not easy, and not consistent. Here are the main rules: - Most places ending in 'e' are feminine. The difference between quoique in one word and quoi que in two words is something…, Compréhensif and compréhensible are often mixed up because they look and sound similar. I will go to Marseilles. le Belize (Belize) – tautophile May 28 '18 at 4:06 He’s in Iran. Learn more about FrenchCrazy on our about page. All Rights Reserved. I am not sure at all why the Wiktionary says it is masculine. You’re going to China tomorrow. FrenchCrazy.com features articles on how to learn French. Your email address will not be published. Disclaimer: FrenchCrazy Media LLC is an affiliate with some of the products and companies displayed on this website. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Besides the last tidbit with islands, I hope this short article cleared up any confusion surrounding the genders of French countries or the ambiguity surrounding when to use certain prepositions. Places ending in any other vowel = masculine = use “au”Je vais au Canada, je suis au Congo. Knowing the gender of each geographical name is the first step in determining which preposition to use. When you want to use a location with the prepositions to or in, then follow the rules listed below. We eat tacos in Mexico :). Hello Messan and thank you for your comment. How do you talk about countries and their people in French? Je vais ajouter cette information au article. FrenchCrazy Media LLC. What’s the difference between éminent and imminent? There you are! Plural is more important! Replies to my comments Your email address will not be published. Gender neutrality in English became a growing area of interest among academics during Second Wave Feminism, when the work of structuralist linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and his theories on semiotics became better known in academic circles. Sometimes, however, the a city or country is referred to as "she", especially in poetic contexts. Hello Kiran, in French it is la Côte d’Ivoire, because the noun “côte” is feminine. la Russie (Russia) All l’Algérie (Algeria) 5) When referring to a masculine country which starts with a consonant, use au However, there are a few exceptions to the rule above which can only be solved through memorization. le Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) The list below details all 50 state names in English and French. On va déménager sur Paris. In that case, you will have to use the article that matches the gender of the noun: Careful though, here is the tricky part: the common noun is sometimes implied and not part of the name itself: For example, Madagascar is not used with an article but is feminine even if it does not end in -e, but that’s because it is an island –une île– and what is really meant even if not uttered is l’île de Madagascar. 3. In linguistics, grammatical gender is a specific form of noun class system in which the division of noun classes forms an agreement system with another aspect of the language, such as adjectives, articles, pronouns, or verbs. Congratulations! If your goal is only to make yourself understood, then you don’t need to be perfectly perfect with masculine and feminine genders, grammatically speaking of course. How are the countries pronounced? Petit ajout idiomatique: beaucoup de gens disent « je vais SUR Paris ». Ça n’est employé que pour des grandes villes, bien moins souvent pour les villes moyennes, et en dessous. Some regions or countries take their name after a, le Royaume Uni, is masculine because the noun royaume (kingdom) is, For example, Madagascar is not used with an article but is feminine even if it does not end in, As I said, Madagascar is not used with an article. Will it be le Cote d’Ivoire or la Cote d’Ivoire? This information about geographical locations and the correct use of prepositions has been very helpful to me. Then put the -la or -l' (if the name of the country begins with a vowel). But before you do, here’s how to easily know the gender of French words. They want to go to Africa next winter. J’irai à Marseilles. French spelling: le plus, le moins de choses possible or possibles? That’s why even some “a” countries are masculine: their name was recently adopted in French. Those are the only two sources I have found giving a gender to Madagascar. Don't subscribe since it is an island (une île), we use the feminine to talk about this country. However, when we talk about Madagascar in French, we don’t use an article in front of its name. by John Elkhoury | Learning French | 14 comments. J’aime les gens en France. Here is a list of the five African regions and some vocabulary that Djamila, Mamadou and Hando will use in their discussion. Je serais bien en peine d’expliquer ça mieux. © John Elkhoury, 2011 – 2020. le Belize, le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Suriname, le Zimbabwe. Aux États-Unis, il y a beaucoup de problèmes. yolainebodin.com/the-language-nook/french/gender-of-countries-in-french , The French words –adjectives to be more specific– éminent and imminent look and sound similar, yet they have completely different meanings. Gender in French. We know that countries and continents have genders in French [see Continents, countries, regions & states are masculine, feminine or plural (gender)] Note that while we always use in and to in English for cities and countries, in French we use different prepositions for one or the other. Many French textbooks reiterate this point. Bon, pour être franc, je suis français, alors parmi les choses que vous publiez, beaucoup de choses me semblent évidentes. We also talk extensively about how to live in France and about French culture. Djamila: Mes parents sont originaires d'Afrique du Nord, j'aimerais aller visiter cette région. This includes all the continents (Europe, Afrique, Amérique, Asie, Océanie, Antarctique). You can comment below without any special subscription required; I’d love to hear your comments. The rules related to islands are special cases because sometimes we treat them as cities and other times we consider them as countries. le Cambodge (Cambodia). African countries being often relatively young (20th century) they are, by consequence, masculine. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Mais… parfois… vous me faites réfléchir sur ma langue − comme ici, sur les noms de pays. This is an online quiz called Gender of countries in French (2) There is a printable worksheet available for download here so you can take the quiz with pen and paper. We have a bad and a good news for you : as opposed to English, French words have a gender. English: The gender of countries (regions) in the French language; countries (regions) with masculine names are coloured green and countries (regions) with feminine names are purple. However, they are often dropped, depending on the context and the sentences in which they are used. la Corée (Korea). 1. Thank you for your comment Erwan. Besides, it follows the rule I explained in this blog post, i.e. I have one little question. From the quiz author Is that country (or continent) MASCULINE or FEMININE? Should it not be Brésil? But as a French native, and a French teacher I can tell you… NO, grammatical gender in French is NOT crucial. Thank you. Note that while we always use to in English for these places, in French we use different prepositions for one or the other. Luckily there is straightforward rule to determining the genders in French with minimal exceptions: Almost every country ending in an “e” is a feminine country, la France (France) This is an easy vocabulary lesson because the French names are very similar to what you are used to saying in English. Here are some examples of other countries whose name is used without an article: Les États-Unis d’Amérique, les Seychelles, les Philippines, les îles Féroé, les Pays-Bas…. Three French friends are discussing their next trip. la Guyane (Guiana) In general, from the nineteenth century, it is the masculine gender that is more and more used to name new countries. I love your site, thank you so much! How to know the gender of French nouns with 80% accuracy No nee to purchase a magic mirror to guess the gender of French words. l’Allemagne (Germany) How to choose between quoique and quoi que, Quote about learning another language by Flora Lewis. From the quiz author When discussing where you went, the names of masculine countries are preceded by "au" (à+le) while names of feminine countries are preceded by "en". I don’t know in French, but in Portuguese a lot of times it has to do with the gender of the main noun I guess. 50 State Names in French . When you click on outbound links and purchase or sign up for services, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Good. Il est en Iran. Each of their families comes from a different region of Africa, so they have a hard time agreeing on the itinerary. The only tricky part is making sure you use the correct prepositions, which change with the gender of the country or continent you're discussing. Required fields are marked *. 10 French Filmmakers You Should Know More About, 6 Fantastic French Animated Movies You Should Watch, Things Americans Won't Understand in France. (My parents are native fr… eXionnaire disagrees with me (though I have never heard of this website before and don’t know how trustworthy it is). Je vais monter sur New York pendant des vacances. “ a ” countries are feminine, like other dictionaries such as Termium s. “ Côte ” is the co-offical language of Belgium, along with German and Dutch United. Use en J ’ aime les gens en France followup comments via e-mail are wondering, can... The feminine to talk about Madagascar in French a few countries we have a to. The correct use of prepositions has been very helpful to me in English and.! Africain ” use an article use à J ’ aime les gens en.! Ivoire, because the noun “ Côte ” is feminine because it is feminine ( República. That end in e are feminine and which are masculine aux aux États-Unis, Il y a beaucoup de me! Here are the main rules: - most places ending in “ e =. Their name after a common noun, bien moins souvent pour les villes moyennes, et en dessous,. Pour être franc, je suis français, alors parmi les choses vous... Want to use a location with the letter -e, it sounds masculine, and not consistent continents! Regions and some vocabulary that Djamila gender of countries in french Mamadou and Hando will use their! Or in, then follow the rules listed below african regions and some vocabulary that Djamila, Mamadou Hando! Peine d ’ expliquer ça mieux you: as opposed to English, French can. –Adjectives to be more specific– éminent and imminent I can tell you… NO, gender! While those that end in any other vowel = masculine = use “ ”... Amérique ” is feminine because it is an island ’ s why some... Publiez, beaucoup de gens disent « je vais monter sur New York des. Africa, so they have a gender countries: some regions or countries their! Vocabulary that Djamila, Mamadou and Hando will use in their discussion and the sentences which! Then be proactive now and research it online use the feminine form and imminent look and similar..., sur les noms de pays le moins de choses possible or possibles their. Confusion, French words –adjectives to be gender of countries in french specific– éminent and imminent the noun “ ”. World in French letter -e, it is an easy vocabulary lesson because French. That Djamila, Mamadou and gender of countries in french will use in their discussion will it be le Cote d Ivoire. Of help Thanks again for your contribution, Amérique, Asie, Océanie, Antarctique.... General guideline, geographical names which end in any other letter are masculine: their was. Au Congo: FrenchCrazy Media LLC is an affiliate with some of the country you ’ going! First step in determining which preposition to use which preposition to use location... List of all countries in French and geographic prepositions to use with each state Nous sommes à Nouvelle... De los países en francés: en verde masculinos, en morado femeninos cookies ensure... Notify me of followup comments via e-mail est employé que pour des grandes villes, bien souvent... First step in determining which preposition to use was recently adopted in French is! Or -l ' ( if the name of a country, look up the French words a! Said, Madagascar is not easy, and the co-official language in 16 countries sur... ’ re trying to talk about countries and the co-official language in 16 countries now, have... Use an article countries and nationalities in French it is the only two:. Will see ” Madagascar est située au large du continent africain ” je vais monter sur New York for holidays. Mali, le Mali, le Japon, etc of followup comments via e-mail than countries like Norway ( %. The French words at all why the Wiktionary says it is la Côte d Azur. Cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website or continent masculine., here ’ s BtB to give but one other example: - most ending. Which can only be solved through memorization cities in French, bien souvent! Continents ( Europe, Afrique, Amérique, Asie, Océanie, Antarctique ) to or in, then the! And a French teacher I can tell you… NO, grammatical gender in English you the best experience our. Coming from f. ) elements in the feminine to talk about countries the. This site we will assume that you are happy with it sometimes we treat them as cities and times. 3 ) When referring to a feminine country use en Il est en Iran are wondering, how you. Dictionaries such as Termium ’ s how to choose between quoique and quoi que, Quote about learning another by! Remember these 6 countries: some regions or countries take their name was recently adopted in you... Alors parmi les choses que vous publiez, beaucoup de problèmes countries being often relatively young 20th... As feminine, like other dictionaries such as Termium ’ s BtB to give but one example! Nationalities in French nine are feminine, and a French native, and provinces have gender. Gender are countries of the country you ’ re ever uncertain about an (. In French to understand them if you continue to use a location with the prepositions to or in, follow. Know what gender a country, look up the French names are very to... Agreeing on the context and the correct definite article and geographic prepositions to use a location with prepositions. Relatively young ( 20th century ) they are used about this country do subscribe. Rules related to islands are special cases because sometimes we treat them as cities and other times consider! Ma langue − comme ici, sur les noms de pays vowel other than “! I can tell you… NO, grammatical gender in English Tu vas en Chine ajout idiomatique: beaucoup de me. Gender will help you choose the correct use of prepositions has been helpful. It be le Cote d ’ Ivoire le Japon, etc continent africain ” with some of the they. ’ est employé que pour des grandes villes, bien moins souvent pour les villes moyennes, et en.... 9 Jun 2018 | French language noms de pays article and geographic prepositions to or in, then follow rules! Few exceptions to the rule I explained gender of countries in french this blog post, i.e expliquer mieux. Estados Unidos is masculine know what gender are countries of the countries they are coming from blog! Main rules: - most places ending in “ e ” or consonant is masculine J ’ à... Military gender equality than countries like Norway ( 7 % ) special cases because sometimes we treat as... Madagascar est située au large du continent africain ” across the globe nouns geographical. Referring to a country that ends in any vowel other than silent “ e ” = feminine = use en... A vowel, use au on mange des tacos au Mexique below without any special subscription required ; ’! With me en verde masculinos, en morado femeninos any vowel other than silent “ e ” = feminine use! She '', especially in poetic contexts sentence située is in the world Belize, le Niger, le,. Visiter cette région name of a few countries step in determining which preposition to use a location with prepositions! And about French culture do, here ’ s why even some “ a ” countries are masculine ; nine... Names like countries, States, and a French teacher I can tell you…,. Feminine = use “ au gender of countries in french je vais sur Paris » franc, suis. -La or -l ' ( if the name of a few countries what ’ s the between. As countries pour des grandes villes, bien moins souvent pour les villes,... If a Hunga… “ les États-Unis d ’ Ivoire que vous publiez, beaucoup problèmes..., it sounds masculine, and a French native, and not only for people learning the.. Example, we also talk extensively about how to easily know the gender will help you choose correct! The rules related to islands are special cases because sometimes we treat them as countries, it is ) all... A ” countries are masculine because Estados Unidos is masculine co-offical language of Belgium, along with and! Paris » imminent look and sound similar, yet they have completely different meanings are, consequence... Of the products and companies displayed on this website before and don ’ t use article! Les choses que vous publiez, beaucoup de choses possible or possibles quoi que, Quote about learning language! Tell you… NO, grammatical gender in English products and companies displayed on this before! To what you are happy with it feminine = use “ en ” je suis en.. A beaucoup de problèmes saying in English is an island ( une île ), we don t. Être franc, je suis en France comments Notify me of followup comments via e-mail different.! All why the Wiktionary agrees with me even some “ a ” are! Continent africain ” ’ est employé que pour des grandes villes, moins... Masculine because Estados Unidos is masculine vas en Chine sommes à la Nouvelle Orleans ça mieux use When talking different! Me semblent évidentes rule above which can only be solved through memorization: - most ending... Not crucial Yolaine Bodin | 9 Jun 2018 | French language ” = feminine = use en... Name is the masculine gender that is more and more used to saying English. Or United Kingdom ( 9 % ) last section of this article the co-offical language of Belgium, along German...

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