Learn essential French vocabulary for nationalities
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| italien |
| algérien |
| suisse |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn French vocabulary for nationalities. |
| Before we start, do you know why French people might say they're from a hexagon when talking about their nationality? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| français |
| "French" |
| [SLOW] français |
| français |
| In the past, French people used to be called les Francs, which was also the name of the former currency of France. |
| Susan asks Tom about a performer at a cultural festival. |
| Susan: Sais-tu d'où vient cette artiste ? |
| Tom: Elle est française. |
| italien |
| "Italian" |
| [SLOW] italien |
| italien |
| As languages, French and Italian share a lot of common roots. |
| That's why I think it's fairly easy for French people to learn Italian. |
| Patricia asks Lina about a new member of their tennis club. |
| Patricia: As-tu rencontré le nouveau membre ? |
| Lina: Oui, il est italien. |
| algérien |
| "Algerian" |
| [SLOW] algérien |
| algerien |
| Do you know Zinedine Zidane? |
| He is the most famous French soccer player in history, and he also has Algerian roots. |
| Oscar shows a picture of his friend to Tom. |
| Oscar: Voici mon ami. Il est algérien. |
| Tom: Ton ami a l'air sympa. |
| suisse |
| "Swiss" |
| [SLOW] suisse |
| suisse |
| In Switzerland, one of the four languages spoken is French. |
| Compared to France, they speak with a distinct French accent, but not as strong as Belgium or Canada. |
| Daphne and Alexandre chat about a Swiss friend. |
| Daphne: Tu connais quelqu'un qui est suisse ? |
| Alexandre: Oui, mon ami est suisse. |
| russe |
| "Russian" |
| [SLOW] russe |
| russe |
| Russian people tend to speak very good French, and with a good accent as well. |
| Susan asks Tom about his friend. |
| Susan: D'où vient ton ami ? |
| Tom: Je crois qu'il est russe ! |
| portugais |
| "Portuguese" |
| [SLOW] portugais |
| portugais |
| There are a lot of French people with Portuguese roots. |
| Lina and Daphne discuss Portuguese nationality. |
| Lina: As-tu rencontré une personne portugaise ? |
| Daphne: Oui, je connais un musicien portugais. |
| canadien |
| "Canadian" |
| [SLOW] canadien |
| canadien |
| French speakers in Canada speak with the original accent of French. |
| They also have a lot of French slang words that we have no idea about in France. |
| Susan asks Lina about a mutual friend. |
| Susan: Quelle est sa nationalité ? |
| Lina: Elle est canadienne. |
| allemand |
| "German" |
| [SLOW] allemand |
| allemand |
| In the regions around the French and German border, both French and German people tend to speak both French and German. |
| Susan asks Oscar about a new member in their photography club. |
| Susan: Tu sais d'où vient le nouveau membre ? |
| Oscar: Il est allemand. |
| espagnol |
| "Spanish" |
| [SLOW] espagnol |
| espagnol |
| There are a lot of French people with Spanish roots, especially in the southwest part of France. |
| Patricia asks Michel about Spanish nationality. |
| Patricia: As-tu déjà rencontré une personne qui est espagnole ? |
| Michel: Oui, je connais un chef espagnol. |
| américain |
| "American" |
| [SLOW] américain |
| américain |
| In the southern part of Louisiana, especially in New Orleans in the southeast, a lot of American people have French roots. |
| Jack and Susan chat about a group of tourists. |
| Jack: D'où viennent-ils ? |
| Susan: Ils sont américains. |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in French. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "French"? |
| français |
| français |
| And how to say "Italian"? |
| italien |
| italien |
| How about "Algerian"? |
| algérien |
| algérien |
| Do you remember how to say "Swiss"? |
| suisse |
| suisse |
| And how to say "Russian"? |
| russe |
| russe |
| Let's try "Portuguese"! |
| portugais |
| portugais |
| What about "Canadian"? |
| canadien |
| canadien |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "German"! |
| allemand |
| allemand |
| Another one! What about "Spanish"? |
| espagnol |
| espagnol |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "American"? |
| américain |
| américain |
| Do you know why French people might say they're from a hexagon when talking about their nationality? |
| France is often called “l'hexagone” due to its roughly hexagonal shape. It's a fun way for French people to describe their country's geography when talking about their nationality! |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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