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how to tell names of countries in the French language

How to tell the names of countries in the  French language

Clker-Free-Vector-Images - Pixabay

D'ou viens-tu or Where are you from, here is a question where you will need to tell about your country in French. You will also be talking about countries in your geography class or while using a world map. So, learning the names of countries will get you ready to have a successful conversation.

In this lesson, you will learn the names of some common countries with their articles and  English translation. 

 

1. A country and a continent in French

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Before making a list of countries in the French language, we will learn first the word for a country and a continent in French.

A country is translated in French as Un pays while a continent is exactly spelled the same way in French but pronounced differently: Un continent.

Countries and continents are part of the world (le monde) or the earth (la terre).

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2. French articles and countries

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It is relatively easy in most cases to tell the names of countries in French as they look alike in English. For instance, Italie stands for Italy, Australie for Australia.  The only difference with English is that countries are generally used with the definite articles le, la, les or l'.  

To use the right article, you need to know the gender of the country, whether it is feminine or masculine. Example: Le Mexique, la France, Les États-Unis, l'Espagne.

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The article l' is used in front of a country starting with a vowel-like with Espagne, Italie, ...

Countries in French Europe

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3. List of common countries in French

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This is not a full list  of countries. However you can find most of the continents: European countries, asian, african, ...

I have purposely chosen to list some common countries around the globe. The presence of  letter "m" means it is a masculine country and "f" is for feminine.

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      English    =>   French

  • Algeria => l'Algérie (f)

  • Argentina => l'Argentine (f)

  • Australia => l'Australie (f)

  • Austria => l'Autriche (f)

  • Bahamas => les Bahamas

  • Belgium => la Belgique

  • Benin => le Bénin

  • Brazil => le Brésil

  • Burkina Faso => le Burkina Faso

  • Burma => la Birmanie

  • Burundi => le Burundi

  • Cambodia => le Cambodge

  • Cameroon => le Cameroun

  • Canada => le Canada

  • Chad => le Tchad

  • Chile => le Chili

  • China => la Chine

  • Congo => le Congo

  • Côte d'Ivoire => la Côte d'Ivoire

  • Croatia => la Croatie

  • Czech Republic => la République tchèque

  • Denmark => le Danemark

  • Egypt => l'Égypte (f)

  • England => l'Angleterre (f)

  • Ethiopia => l'Éthiopie (f)

  • France => la France

  • Germany => l'Allemagne (f)

  • Ghana => le Ghana

  • Greece => la Grèce

  • Haiti => Haïti

  • India => l'Inde (f)

  • Indonesia => l'Indonésie (f)

  • Iran => l'Iran (m)

  • Ireland => l'Irlande (f)

  • Italy => l'Italie (f)

  • Jamaica => la Jamaïque

  • Japan => le Japon

  • Kenya => le Kenya

  • Laos => le Laos

  • Lebanon => le Liban

  • Luxembourg => le Luxembourg

  • Madagascar => Madagascar

  • Malaysia => la Malaisie

  • Mexico => le Mexique

  • Morocco => le Maroc

  • Mozambique => le Mozambique

  • Netherlands => les Pays-Bas

  • Niger => le Niger

  • Nigeria => le Nigéria

  • North Korea => la Corée du Nord

  • Norway => la Norvège

  • Pakistan => le Pakistan

  • Philippines => les Philippines 

  • Poland => la Pologne

  • Portugal => le Portugal

  • Russia => la Russie

  • Rwanda => le Rwanda

  • Saudi Arabia => l'Arabie saoudite (f)

  • Scotland => l'Écosse (f)

  • Senegal => le Sénégal

  • Singapore => Singapour

  • South Africa => l'Afrique du Sud (f)

  • South Korea => la Corée du Sud

  • Spain => l'Espagne (f)

  • Sri Lanka => le Sri Lanka

  • Sudan => le Soudan

  • Sweden => la Suède

  • Switzerland => la Suisse

  • Syria => la Syrie

  • Tanzania => la Tanzanie

  • Thailand => la Thaïlande

  • Togo => le Togo

  • Tunisia => la Tunisie

  • Turkey => la Turquie

  • United Arab Emirates => les Émirats arabes unis

  • United Kingdom => le Royaume-Uni

  • United States of America => les États-Unis 

  • Vietnam => le Viêtnam

  • Wales => le pays de Galles

  • Zimbabwe => le Zimbabwe

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4. Learn more on Countries names with videos

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If you want to take your learning further, we suggest Lingoda for online group classes or private classes. Their classes are affordable (10 to 12 euros per one hour group class), well structured according to CEFR guidelines, with a communicative approach that gets you quickly comfortable speaking. You can join their next challenge, the Lingoda Sprint. If you commit to taking 15 or 30 classes per month for 2 months, without missing any class, you get 50% cashback or more. 

This is a great way to accelerate your learning with intensive classes. However, this is not for everyone. If you can't commit daily, it might be better to join their regular classes that you can try 7 days for free here.

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In case you like fun learning, our best recommendation would be Lingopie. Their subtitles and flashcard features make it easier for you to develop your vocabulary and listening skills while having fun watching your favorite TV show or movie. They have a 7-day free trial if you would like to test the platform.

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