Continents, Countries, and Nationalities

Continents

Continent	In French
Africa	Afrique
Antarctica	Antarctique
Asia	Asie
Australia	Australie
Europe	Europe
North America	Amérique du Nord
South America	Amérique du Sud

Countries and Nationalities

Below is a table listing some countries along with their French names and the corresponding nationalities. The nationalities are provided in both the masculine and feminine forms.

Country	Pays	Nationalité (masculin-féminin)
France	La France	français / française
Canada	Le Canada	canadien / canadienne
United States	Les États-Unis	américain / américaine
England	L'Angleterre	anglais / anglaise
Japan	Le Japon	japonais / japonaise
Germany	L'Allemagne	allemand / allemande
Argentina	L'Argentine	argentin / argentine
Australia	L'Australie	australien / australienne
Belgium	La Belgique	belge (same for both genders)
Brazil	Le Brésil	brésilien / brésilienne
Chile	Le Chili	chilien / chilienne
China	La Chine	chinois / chinoise
Denmark	Le Danemark	danois / danoise
Egypt	L'Égypte	égyptien / égyptienne
Spain	L'Espagne	espagnol / espagnole
Greece	La Grèce	grec / grecque
India	L'Inde	indien / indienne
Italy	L'Italie	italien / italienne
Mexico	Le Mexique	mexicain / mexicaine
Norway	La Norvège	norvégien / norvégienne
New Zealand	La Nouvelle-Zélande	néo-zélandais / néo-zélandaise
Peru	Le Pérou	péruvien / péruvienne
Russia	La Russie	russe (same for both genders)
Sweden	La Suède	suédois / suédoise
Switzerland	La Suisse	suisse (same for both genders)
Senegal	Le Sénégal	sénégalais / sénégalaise
Algeria	L'Algérie	algérien / algérienne
Singapore	Le Singapour	singapourien / singapourienne
Colombia	La Colombie	colombien / colombienne
Turkey	La Turquie	turc / turque

Grammar Points

1. Gender Agreement: Remember that in French, adjectives (including nationalities) must agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe. For example:

• Il est français (He is French) – masculine
• Elle est française (She is French) – feminine

2. Capitalisation: When a nationality is used as a noun (e.g., un Américain), it is capitalised. However, when it is used as an adjective (e.g., un type américain), it is not capitalised.
3. Special Cases: Some nationalities have irregular feminine forms or do not change between masculine and feminine forms, such as belge (Belgian) or russe (Russian).
4. Country Names: In French, country names have genders, which affects the article used:

• Masculine: Le Canada, Le Japon
• Feminine: La France, La Chine
• Plural: Les États-Unis, Les Philippines

Sample Sentences

• Mon ami est canadien. Il vient du Canada. (My friend is Canadian. He is from Canada.)
• Elle est australienne. Elle habite en Australie. (She is Australian. She lives in Australia.)

Popular Holiday Destinations

French	English
Paris	Paris
New York	New York
Londres	London
Tokyo	Tokyo
Rome	Rome
Barcelone	Barcelona
Sydney	Sydney
Los Angeles	Los Angeles
Berlin	Berlin
Dubaï	Dubai
Bangkok	Bangkok
Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro
Istanbul	Istanbul
Le Caire	Cairo
Le Cap	Cape Town
Amsterdam	Amsterdam
Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Mexico	Mexico City

Why No Article is Needed for Most Cities:

1. General Rule for Cities:

• Cities typically do not take an article in French when you refer to them by name. For example, you say "Paris," "Londres," or "Tokyo" without an article.
• This is because cities are considered proper nouns and, unlike countries or regions, they don't require an article to define them in the French language.

2. Exceptions:

• Some cities do require an article. For example:
• Le Caire (Cairo)
• La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans)

3. Countries and Regions:

• Unlike cities, countries, continents, and regions usually do take an article:
• La France (France)
• Le Japon (Japan)
• Les États-Unis (The United States)

4. Prepositions and Articles with Cities:

• When expressing movement to a city, you typically use the preposition "à" without an article:
• Je vais à Paris (I'm going to Paris)
• Il habite à Tokyo (He lives in Tokyo)
• For cities that do require an article, the preposition contracts with the article:
• Je vais au Havre (I'm going to Le Havre)

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