Welcome to Lesson A1.04 of our French Online Course. Today, we will continue using the verb être (to be) and learn how to describe nationalities in both masculine and feminine forms. This is an essential part of presenting yourself and talking about others in French. Nationalities in french
Understanding the Basics
In French, nationalities agree in gender (masculine or feminine) with the person they describe. That means:
If you’re a man, you use the masculine form.
If you’re a woman, you use the feminine form.
Let’s take a look at the verb être (to be) in the present tense:
Je suis (I am)
Tu es (You are)
Il/Elle est (He/She is)
Nous sommes (We are)
Vous êtes (You are)
Ils/Elles sont (They are)
Now let’s combine it with nationalities.
Examples:
Je suis français. (I am French – a man)
Je suis française. (I am French – a woman)
Il est anglais. / Elle est anglaise. (He is English / She is English)
Tu es espagnol ? / Tu es espagnole ? (Are you Spanish?)
Some nationalities follow regular patterns:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| français | française |
| anglais | anglaise |
| italien | italienne |
| espagnol | espagnole |
| allemand | allemande |
| canadien | canadienne |
| marocain | marocaine |
| chinois | chinoise |
Vocabulary Boost: Common Nationalities
français / française = French
anglais / anglaise = English
allemand / allemande = German
espagnol / espagnole = Spanish
italien / italienne = Italian
japonais / japonaise = Japanese
américain / américaine = American
chinois / chinoise = Chinese
mexicain / mexicaine = Mexican
canadien / canadienne = Canadian
🧠 Cultural Note:
Nationalities in French are not capitalised unless they refer to the language or country, not the person. For example:
Elle est française. (nationality → lowercase)
Elle parle le français. (language → capitalised)
🧾 Conclusion
Understanding how to use être with nationalities is a foundational step in introducing yourself and speaking about others in French. By mastering both the masculine and feminine forms, you not only improve your grammar but also show cultural and linguistic awareness. Keep practicing these structures in real-life situations, dialogues, and written exercises. The more you use them, the more natural they will feel. Bravo for reaching the end of this lesson — you’re building solid ground for your French journey!
