Where are you from?
In this article, we are going to learn how to talk in French about this topic of paramount importance. To achieve this aim, we have included the following aspects:
- a definition of nationality
- some rules to write nationalities in French
- vocabulary about continents
- European countries and nationalities
- Countries from the rest of the world
- an exercise to practice the writing of nationalities in feminine and masculine
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What is the definition of the term “nationality”?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, nationality is “the state of belonging to a particular country or being a citizen of a particular nation.” Usually you have the nationality of the country you were born which makes you a legal citizen of that particular place. There are three ways of acquiring a nationality: by birth, by descent from a State’s national or by naturalization.
Continents
The land surface of the planet is usually divided into seven regions or continents. However, there are other divisions that classify the land areas of the Earth into six, five and four continents.
| Continent EN | Continent FR | Adjective (masculin-feminin) |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | L'Afrique | Africain, Africaine |
| Asia | L’Asie | Asiatique |
| North America | L’Amérique du Nord | Nord-Américain, Nord-Américaine |
| South America | L’Amérique du Sud | Sud-Américain, Sud-Américaine |
| Antarctica | L’Antarctique | Antarctique |
| Europe | L’Europe | Européen,Européenne |
| Oceania / Australia | L’Australie / L’Océanie | australien, australienne / océanien, océanienne / (océanique = relatif à l’océan) |
Some Rules To Write Nationalities in French
#1 Capitalize nationalities only when they are nouns, never when used as adjectives.
Example: Alice est autrichienne.
BUT: Je connais une Autrichienne.
#2 Nationality adjectives are written with an e when they are feminine.
Example: Martin est écossais. Glennis est écossaise.
#3 If the nationality adjective is written with an e in its masculine form, the feminine form does not change.
Example: François est belge. Cécile est belge.
#4 Some feminine adjectives are written in a particular way.
Example: Socrate était grec. Maria Callas était grecque.
European Nationalities
Check the nationalities of some of the countries from the European continent:
| Country | Pays | Nationalité (masculin-feminin) |
|---|---|---|
| England | L’Angleterre | anglais, anglaise |
| Scotland | L'Écosse | écossais, écossaise |
| Norway | La Norvège | norvégien, norvégienne |
| Estonia | L’Estonie | estonien, estonienne |
| Germany | L’Allemagne | allemand, allemande |
| Spain | L’Espagne | espagnol, espagnole |
| Belgium | La Belgique | belge |
| Greece | La Grèce | grec, grecque |
| Italy | Italie | italien, italienne |
| France | La France | français, française |
| The Netherlands / Holland | Les Pays Bas / La Hollande | néerlandais, néerlandaise / hollandais, hollandaise |
| Switzerland | La Suisse | suisse |
| Bulgaria | La Bulgarie | bulgare |
| Hungary | La Hongrie | hongrois, hongroise |
| Romania | La Roumanie | roumain, roumaine |
| Russia | La Russie | russe |
| Czech Republic | La Tchéquie | tchèque |
| Serbia | La Serbie | serbe |
| Turkey | La Turquie | turc, turque |
| Kosovo | Le Kosovo | kosovar, kosovare |
| Slovenia | La Slovénie | slovène |
Nationalities From Other countries
Check the nationalities from other countries in the world:
| Country | Pays | Nationalité (masculin-feminin) |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | Sénégal | sénégalais, sénégalaise |
| Guinea | Guinée | guinéen, guinéenne |
| Algeria | L'Algérie | algérien, algérienne |
| Japon | Le Japon | japonais, japonaise |
| China | La Chine | chinois, chinoise |
| The Philippines | Les Philippines | philippin, philippine |
| Singapore | Le Singapour | singapourien, singapourienne |
| New Zealand | La Nouvelle-Zélande | néo-zélandais, néo-zélandaise |
| Tuvalu | Tuvalu | tuvalais, tuvalaise |
| Canada | Le Canada | canadien, canadienne |
| Mexico | Le Mexique | mexicain, mexicaine |
| Guatemala | Le Guatemala | guatémaltèque |
| Colombia | La Colombie | colombien, colombienne |
| Peru | Le Pérou | péruvien, péruvienne |
| Argentina | L'Argentine | argentin, argentine |
Let’s Practice
Complete the following list by writing the missing nationalities.
| Pays | Nationalité (masculin) | Nationalité (féminin) |
|---|---|---|
| Le Brésil | brésilien | |
| L'Égypte | égyptienne | |
| L’Irlande | irlandais | |
| La Pologne | polonaise | |
| Le Danemark | danois | |
| Le Cuba | cubain | |
| La Corée | coréen | |
| L’Inde | indienne |
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