Vocabulary about history matters when you are learning a new language because it will help you become a better reader and develop background knowledge. Mastering this kind of vocabulary will also allow you to express yourself in a more precise way orally. By knowing history terms, you will have access to more complex texts about the past of France, newspaper articles and texts about history and related fields. So, today we have prepared an article in which you are going to find a collection of terms and concepts relevant to the study of literature and history. Here you are going to get familiar with:
- some general terminology to talk about history
- historical eras
- literary terms
Do you want to go a step further in your French learning? Then, let’s take off!
If you wish to learn the basics of French and take the tests DELF, DALF or TCF, revising all our french vocabuary worksheets is always a great idea!
Some General Terminology To Talk About History
You want to express an opinion in French after having read an article or heard the news, but the words escape you. The worst is that you have something interesting to tell and you know the right words in your mother tongue, but not in French. Maybe while you read this, you are thinking: “been there, done that.” Well, to avoid the situation, study the following words:
Useful History Terms – Vocabulaire utile à connaître en histoire
| history | histoire |
| historical | historique |
| histoian | historien |
| civilization | civilisation |
| colonialism | colonialisme |
| colony | colonie |
| monarchy | monarchie |
| monarch | monarque |
| royalty | royauté |
| reign | règne |
| king | roi |
| queen | reine |
| emperor | empereur |
| dynasty | dynastie |
| nobility | noblesse |
| aristocracy | aristocratie |
| knight | chevalier |
| feudalism | féodalisme, féodalité |
| constitutional monarchy | monarchie constitutionnelle |
| capitalism | capitalisme |
| communism | communisme |
| working class | la classe ouvrière |
| middle class | la bourgeoisie |
| upper class | la haute société |
| democracy | la démocratie |
| democratic | démocratique |
| dictatorship | une dictature |
| anarchy | l’anarchie |
| fascism | fascisme |
| fascist | fasciste |
| nationalism | nationalisme |
| revolution | la révolution |
| The French Revolution | La Révolution française |
| revolt | une révolte |
| coup | un coup d’état |
| demonstration | manifestation |
| protest | protestation |
| the First World War | la Première Guerre mondiale |
| the Second World War | la Seconde Guerre mondiale |
| armistice | l’armistice |
| the Constitution | la Constitution |
| the law | la loi |
Historical Eras
Have you ever wondered why we divide history into different periods? Well, there are different reasons. Periodising history helps us identify events chronologically and understand more clearly the characteristics of each time as well as the complexity of the changes that have occured over time. Let’s see a classification in French:
Historical eras – Les époques historiques
| Prehistoric times | La préhistoire |
| Paleolithic era | le paléolithique |
| Neolithic era | le néolithique |
| Early civilization | civilisation primitive |
| Antiquity | l’Antiquité |
| the Middle Ages | Le Moyen Âge |
| the Renaissance | la Renaissance |
| Early 18th Century | le Début du XVIIIe siècle |
| Late 18th Century | la fin du XVIIIe siècle |
| Modern Times | les temps modernes, l'époque moderne |
| the contemporary era | l'époque contemporaine |
Literary Terms
These are places where cultural diversity, literature, art, cinema, dialogue and debate are protagonists. In these cultural paradises, you can borrow lots of books, comics and films. So, let’s see some of the most relevant words to talk about literary works.
Literary Terms – Vocabulaire utile en littérature
| a writer | un écrivain |
| an author | un auteur, une auteure |
| a playwright, a dramatist | un dramaturge |
| a poet | un poète, une poétesse |
| an editor | un éditeur |
| a publishing house | une maison d’édition |
| a book, a work, a publication | un ouvrage |
| a collection, an anthology | un recueil |
| literary genres | les genres littéraires |
| a novel | un roman |
| a short story | une nouvelle |
| a historical novel | un roman historique |
| a thriller | un roman à suspense |
| a detective story | un roman policier |
| a crime novel | un polar |
| a science-fiction novel | un roman de science fiction |
| a novel of social criticism | un roman social |
| a fairy-tale | un conte de fées |
| a romance novel | un roman à l’eau de rose |
| an epistolary novel | un roman épistolaire |
| a tale | un conte |
| a biography | une biographie |
| an autobiography | une autobiographie |
| a poem | un poème |
| a theatre play | une pièce de théâtre |
| a comic book | une BD, une bande dessinée |
| a graphic novel | un roman graphique |
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