Learn essential French vocabulary for countries
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| Allemagne |
| Russie |
| Espagne |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn French country vocabulary. |
| Before we start, did you know that people in France eat an incredible amount of cheese, more than almost any other country? Can you guess how much? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| Suisse |
| "Switzerland" |
| [SLOW] Suisse |
| Suisse |
| French is the second most spoken language in Switzerland and one of the country’s four official languages. |
| Susan asks Tom about a recent trip. |
| Susan: As-tu acheté quelque chose de spécial en Suisse ? |
| Tom: J'ai acheté une montre en Suisse. |
| Russie |
| "Russia" |
| [SLOW] Russie |
| Russie |
| In French, double 's' is always pronounced sss, while a single 's' can sound like sss or zz, depending on the word and the rule that applies. |
| Tom quizzes Oscar on capital cities. |
| Tom: Tu connais la capitale de la Russie ? |
| Oscar: Oui, c'est Moscou. |
| Portugal |
| "Portugal" |
| [SLOW] Portugal |
| Portugal |
| There is a large Portuguese community in France, which you can often tell from family names. That’s why you’ll find many Portuguese speakers in France! |
| Jack plans a trip to Europe with Steve. |
| Jack: Où devrais-je aller au Portugal ? |
| Steve: J’ai entendu dire que Lisbonne était une belle ville. |
| Canada |
| "Canada" |
| [SLOW] Canada |
| Canada |
| Quebec is the French-speaking part of Canada, home to about a quarter of the country’s population. |
| Oscar and Tom chat about different countries. |
| Oscar: Sur quel continent se trouve le Canada ? |
| Tom: Le Canada se trouve en Amérique du nord. |
| Italie |
| "Italy" |
| [SLOW] Italie |
| Italie |
| As neighboring countries with common roots, France and Italy share many cultural aspects. However, when it comes to food, each has its own unique traditions. |
| Susan and Oscar chat about travel destinations. |
| Susan: Quel pays est connu pour sa très bonne nourriture ? |
| Oscar: L'Italie est célèbre pour sa nourriture. |
| Allemagne |
| "Germany" |
| [SLOW] Allemagne |
| Allemagne |
| Germany is France’s neighbor with the most different language. Unlike Spanish or Italian, German is a Germanic language, not a Latin one, so we don’t share as much. |
| Lina plans a trip to Europe with Tom. |
| Lina: Quel pays devrais-je visiter en Europe ? |
| Tom: Je te conseille de visiter l'Allemagne. |
| Espagne |
| "Spain" |
| [SLOW] Espagne |
| Espagne |
| The French name for Spain, 'Espagne', sounds much closer to the Spanish name España. |
| That makes sense, since both French and Spanish are Latin languages! |
| Steve and Jack chat about travel destinations. |
| Steve: Je prévois un voyage en Espagne. Quelle est la capitale ? |
| Jack: Madrid est la capitale de l'Espagne. |
| Brésil |
| "Brazil" |
| [SLOW] Brésil |
| Brésil |
| Both France and Brazil have top-tier national soccer teams. Every match between them is a huge event, watched by fans all over the world! |
| Susan and Lina chat about travel destinations. |
| Susan: Quel pays veux-tu visiter ? |
| Lina: Je veux visiter le Brésil. Le Brésil est grand et beau. |
| France |
| "France" |
| [SLOW] France |
| France |
| The word "France" is great for practicing the French 'R' sound. Depending on your native language, it can be tricky—Frrrance! |
| Daphne and Patricia chat about different countries. |
| Daphne: Pour quoi la France est-elle connue ? |
| Patricia: La France est célèbre pour le vin. |
| États-Unis |
| "United States" |
| [SLOW] États-Unis |
| États-Unis |
| French speakers also refer to the United States as 'USA', just like in English. |
| Tom tests Oscar's knowledge of the United States. |
| Tom: S'il te plaît, nomme-moi un état des États-Unis. |
| Oscar: New York est un état des États-Unis. |
| 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 "Switzerland"? |
| Suisse |
| Suisse |
| And how to say "Russia"? |
| Russie |
| Russie |
| How about "Portugal"? |
| Portugal |
| Portugal |
| Do you remember how to say "Canada"? |
| Canada |
| Canada |
| And how to say "Italy"? |
| Italie |
| Italie |
| Let's try "Germany"! |
| Allemagne |
| Allemagne |
| What about "Spain"? |
| Espagne |
| Espagne |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "Brazil"! |
| Brésil |
| Brésil |
| Another one! What about "France"? |
| France |
| France |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "United States"? |
| États-Unis |
| États-Unis |
| Did you know that people in France eat an incredible amount of cheese? Can you guess how much? |
| The average French person eats more than twenty kilograms of cheese a year! |
| With over twelve hundred types, cheese is a big part of French culture. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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