French vocabulary: How to Say Different Nationalities and Countries in French
Learn how to say the different French words for nationalities and countries with this short vocabulary lesson. Click to know all about it.
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Some Quick RemindersFrench Vocabulary: The ContinentsFrench Vocabulary: Countries & NationalitiesConclusionToday we’ll go through French vocabulary related to countries and nationalities. This article will help you properly introduce yourself and talk about nationalities and countries in French.
Some Quick Reminders
Here are some other things to consider when talking about continents, countries, and nationalities in the French language.
- Many French nationality words resemble their English equivalents. For example, a Canadian is un Canadien (masculine) or une Canadienne (feminine). Living in a country does not necessarily mean having that nationality.
- Nationality adjectives agree in gender and number with the person or noun they describe: un homme canadien, une femme canadienne. Some have the same masculine and feminine singular form, such as belge. In the tables, parentheses show the feminine ending: Canadien(ne) means Canadien or Canadienne.
- Capitalize nouns naming people by nationality or geographical origin: un Français, une Française, un Asiatique. Use lowercase for adjectives: il est français, la cuisine asiatique. Language names also take lowercase: le français.
Here are the continent names and the corresponding words for their inhabitants. These describe geographical origin, not necessarily nationality. The tables list nouns for people, so they begin with a capital letter.
French Vocabulary: The Continents
| English | French | Person from this place (masculine/feminine) |
| Africa | Afrique | Africain(e) |
| Antarctica | Antarctique | |
| Asia | Asie | Asiatique |
| Australia | Australie | Australien(ne) |
| Europe | Europe | Européen(ne) |
| North America | Amérique du Nord | Nord-Américain(e) |
| South America | Amérique du Sud | Sud-Américain(e) |
This table follows the seven-continent model, which treats Australia as a continent. Other models use different groupings, and French sources often use Océanie (Oceania) for the wider region. Continents are not countries; there is no Antarctic nationality.
If you ever need to refer to those living in Antarctica you can always say “les gens qui vivent en Antarctique” (people who live in Antarctica).
In other instances, conversations can go much like this:
John: “Bonjour Mari, comment se passent tes vacances ? Où es-tu allée ?”
Hi Mari, how is your vacation going? Where did you go?
Mari: “Salut John ! Je suis allée en Australie. Les Australiens ici sont très gentils.”
Hi John! I went to Australia. The Australians here are very kind.
French Vocabulary: Countries & Nationalities
The list of countries is much longer than the list of continents. Cities also have names for their inhabitants (such as un Parisien or une Parisienne), but these are not nationalities.
This list is not exhaustive, but it includes a selection of countries and their nationalities. The capitalization and adjective-agreement rules above also apply to nationality words outside this list.
Let’s learn the countries in French as well as the corresponding nationalities in French!
| English | French | Person from this place (masculine/feminine) |
| Algeria | Algérie | Algérien(ne) |
| Belgium | Belgique | Belge |
| Brazil | Brésil | Brésilien(ne) |
| Canada | Canada | Canadien(ne) |
| China | Chine | Chinois(e) |
| Egypt | Égypte | Égyptien(ne) |
| England | Angleterre | Anglais(e) |
| France | France | Français(e) |
| Germany | Allemagne | Allemand(e) |
| India | Inde | Indien(ne) |
| Ireland | Irlande | Irlandais(e) |
| Italy | Italie | Italien(ne) |
| Japan | Japon | Japonais(e) |
| Mexico | Mexique | Mexicain(e) |
| Netherlands | Pays-Bas | Néerlandais(e) |
| Poland | Pologne | Polonais(e) |
| Portugal | Portugal | Portugais(e) |
| Russia | Russie | Russe |
| Spain | Espagne | Espagnol(e) |
| Switzerland | Suisse | Suisse / Suisse ou Suissesse |
| United States | États-Unis | Américain(e) |
We’ve also included a sample dialogue below.
Johann: “Bonjour Elizabeth, ravi de vous rencontrer. Je viens d’Allemagne, d’où venez-vous ?”
Hello Elizabeth, great to meet you. I’m from Germany, where are you from?
Elizabeth: “Bonjour Johann, je suis ravie de vous rencontrer aussi. Je viens du Mexique. Qu’est-ce qui vous a amené ici pour étudier en Espagne ?”
Hello Johann, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m from Mexico. What brought you here to study in Spain?
Johann: “Je suis venu ici parce que beaucoup de mes amis suisses m’ont recommandé d’étudier ici. Je voyage beaucoup comme vous pouvez le voir.”
I came here because many of my Swiss friends recommended I study here. I travel quite a lot as you can tell.
Elizabeth:
“Oh, waouh ! J’ai toujours voulu aller en Suisse. En tout cas, vos amis avaient raison. Il fait bon vivre ici et j’adore la ville aussi !”
Oh wow! I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland. In any case, your friends were right. It’s nice to live here, and I love the town too!
Conclusion
Nationalities and countries are bound to come up sometime during conversations. Make sure you’re equipped with the right words to say it.
