The first time someone in Paris asked me Tu viens d’où ? /ty vjɛ̃ du/ — where are you from? — my brain did a small crash. I knew how to say France /fʁɑ̃s/, I sort of knew français /fʁɑ̃.sɛ/, but I panicked and answered: “Je suis… fromage.”
Good news: talking about countries, nationalities, and languages in French is mostly a set of reusable Lego blocks. Once you know the patterns, you can say who you are, where you’re from, and what you speak without accidentally identifying as cheese.
By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
- Say your country, nationality, and languages in natural French
- Use je viens de…, je suis…, and je parle… correctly
- Choose the right little words: en/au/aux and de/du/des for countries
- Avoid the classic “I speak France” mistake that every beginner makes at least once
Quick Primer: Three Different Things (Country, Nationality, Language)
Before we start listing flags, let’s separate three ideas.
On first mentions:
- un pays /œ̃ pe.i/ — a country
- une nationalité /yn na.sjɔ.na.li.te/ — a nationality
- une langue /yn lɑ̃ɡ/ — a language
In French, we often have:
- The country name:
- la France /la fʁɑ̃s/ — France
- l’Espagne /lɛs.paɲ/ — Spain
- la France /la fʁɑ̃s/ — France
- The nationality adjective (masculine / feminine):
- français /fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ — French (m.)
- française /fʁɑ̃.sɛz/ — French (f.)
- français /fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ — French (m.)
- The language (usually same word as the nationality, masculine noun):
- le français /lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ — the French language
- l’espagnol /lɛs.pa.ɲɔl/ — Spanish (language)
- le français /lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ — the French language
We’ll build your sentences from three basic patterns:
- Je viens de… /ʒə vjɛ̃ də/ — I come from…
- Je suis… /ʒə sɥi/ — I am… (nationality)
- Je parle… /ʒə paʁl/ — I speak… (language)
Essential Phrases To Talk About Where You’re From
Let’s start with the sentences you’ll use 1000 times.
On first mentions:
- Je viens de… /ʒə vjɛ̃ də/ — I come from…
- Je suis… /ʒə sɥi/ — I am… (nationality)
- J’habite à… /ʒa.bit a/ — I live in… (city)
Saying Your Country
Basic pattern:
Je viens de + pays.
But the de changes slightly depending on the country:
- de + country starting with a vowel or some feminine countries
- du /dy/ (de + le) for many masculine countries
- des /de/ (de + les) for plural countries
Examples:
- Je viens de France.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ də fʁɑ̃s/
I come from France. - Je viens du Canada.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dy ka.na.da/
I come from Canada. - Je viens des États-Unis.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dez‿e.ta.zy.ni/
I come from the United States.
We’ll come back to the rules with de/du/des in a later section; for now, just see the pattern.
Saying Your Nationality
Use je suis + nationality adjective, and remember: gender matters.
- Je suis français. (male)
/ʒə sɥi fʁɑ̃.sɛ/
I’m French. - Je suis française. (female)
/ʒə sɥi fʁɑ̃.sɛz/
I’m French.
More examples:
- Je suis américain. (m.) / américaine. (f.)
/ʒə sɥi a.me.ʁi.kɛ̃/ — /a.me.ʁi.kɛn/ - Je suis espagnol. (m.) / espagnole. (f.)
/ʒə sɥi ɛs.pa.ɲɔl/ — /ɛs.pa.ɲɔl/
Saying What Language You Speak
On first mentions:
- Je parle… /ʒə paʁl/ — I speak…
Languages are usually masculine nouns and often lower-case in French:
- le français /lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ — French
- l’anglais /lɑ̃.ɡlɛ/ — English
- l’espagnol /lɛs.pa.ɲɔl/ — Spanish
- l’allemand /lal.mɑ̃/ — German
Examples:
- Je parle anglais et un peu français.
/ʒə paʁl ɑ̃.ɡlɛ e œ̃ pø fʁɑ̃.sɛ/
I speak English and a bit of French. - Je ne parle pas japonais.
/ʒə nə paʁl pa ʒa.pɔ.nɛ/
I don’t speak Japanese.
Common beginner mistake:
- ✗ Je parle France.
- ✓ Je parle français.
Major Countries And Nationalities (With Gender)
Here’s a handy table with common countries, their demonyms, and the language.
| French | IPA | English |
| la France | la fʁɑ̃s | France |
| français / française | fʁɑ̃.sɛ / fʁɑ̃.sɛz | French (m./f.) |
| le français | lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ | French (language) |
| l’Angleterre | lɑ̃.ɡlə.tɛʁ | England |
| anglais / anglaise | ɑ̃.ɡlɛ / ɑ̃.ɡlɛz | English (m./f.) |
| l’anglais | lɑ̃.ɡlɛ | English (language) |
| les États-Unis | le.z‿e.ta.zy.ni | United States |
| américain / américaine | a.me.ʁi.kɛ̃ / a.me.ʁi.kɛn | American (m./f.) |
| l’anglais | lɑ̃.ɡlɛ | English (language) |
| le Canada | lə ka.na.da | Canada |
| canadien / canadienne | ka.na.djɛ̃ / ka.na.djɛn | Canadian (m./f.) |
| le français, l’anglais | lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ, lɑ̃.ɡlɛ | French, English |
| l’Australie | los.tʁa.li | Australia |
| australien / australienne | os.tʁa.ljɛ̃ / os.tʁa.ljɛn | Australian (m./f.) |
| l’anglais | lɑ̃.ɡlɛ | English |
| l’Espagne | lɛs.paɲ | Spain |
| espagnol / espagnole | ɛs.pa.ɲɔl / ɛs.pa.ɲɔl | Spanish (m./f.) |
| l’espagnol | lɛs.pa.ɲɔl | Spanish (language) |
| l’Italie | li.ta.li | Italy |
| italien / italienne | i.ta.ljɛ̃ / i.ta.ljɛn | Italian (m./f.) |
| l’italien | li.ta.ljɛ̃ | Italian (language) |
| l’Allemagne | lal.maɲ | Germany |
| allemand / allemande | al.mɑ̃ / al.mɑ̃d | German (m./f.) |
| l’allemand | lal.mɑ̃ | German (language) |
| le Japon | lə ʒa.pɔ̃ | Japan |
| japonais / japonaise | ʒa.pɔ.nɛ / ʒa.pɔ.nɛz | Japanese (m./f.) |
| le japonais | lə ʒa.pɔ.nɛ | Japanese (language) |
| la Chine | la ʃin | China |
| chinois / chinoise | ʃi.nwa / ʃi.nwaz | Chinese (m./f.) |
| le chinois | lə ʃi.nwa | Chinese (language) |
| le Mexique | lə mɛk.sik | Mexico |
| mexicain / mexicaine | mɛk.si.kɛ̃ / mɛk.si.kɛn | Mexican (m./f.) |
| l’espagnol | lɛs.pa.ɲɔl | Spanish |
| le Brésil | lə bʁe.zil | Brazil |
| brésilien / brésilienne | bʁe.zi.ljɛ̃ / bʁe.zi.ljɛn | Brazilian (m./f.) |
| le portugais | lə pɔʁ.ty.ɡɛ | Portuguese (language) |
Usage note:
- Adjectives of nationality are usually lower-case in French:
un étudiant français — a French student. - As nouns (the French, the Japanese), you may see them capitalized in some writing, but lower-case is also common:
les Français /le fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ — the French (people).
Talking About Languages (Je Parle, Je Comprends, Etc.)
You don’t just want to say what you speak; you want to say how well you speak it.
On first mentions:
- parler /paʁ.le/ — to speak
- comprendre /kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ/ — to understand
Key patterns:
- Je parle + langue. — I speak…
- Je comprends + langue. — I understand…
- Je ne parle pas très bien… — I don’t speak … very well.
Useful sentences:
- Je parle anglais couramment.
/ʒə paʁl ɑ̃.ɡlɛ ku.ʁa.mɑ̃/
I speak English fluently. - Je parle un peu français.
/ʒə paʁl œ̃ pø fʁɑ̃.sɛ/
I speak a little French. - Je comprends le français, mais je ne le parle pas très bien.
/ʒə kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃ lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ mɛ ʒə nə lə paʁl pa tʁɛ bjɛ̃/
I understand French, but I don’t speak it very well. - Je ne parle pas du tout italien.
/ʒə nə paʁl pa dy tu i.ta.ljɛ̃/
I don’t speak Italian at all.
And a very handy disclaimer:
- Je parle un peu français, soyez patient(e), s’il vous plaît.
/ʒə paʁl œ̃ pø fʁɑ̃.sɛ swa.je pa.sjɑ̃ s‿il vu plɛ/
I speak a bit of French, please be patient.
Prepositions With Countries: En, Au, Aux, De, Du, Des
This is the part that made me stare at maps like they were grammar tests.
On first mentions:
- en /ɑ̃/ — in / to (feminine countries, many w/ vowel)
- au /o/ — in / to (masculine singular countries)
- aux /o/ — in / to (plural countries)
Saying “In” Or “To” A Country
General pattern:
- en for most feminine countries and those starting with a vowel
- au for most masculine countries
- aux for plural countries
Examples:
- Je vis en France.
/ʒə vi ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/
I live in France. - Je vais en Italie.
/ʒə vɛ ɑ̃ ni.ta.li/
I’m going to Italy. - Je travaille au Canada.
/ʒə tʁa.vaj o ka.na.da/
I work in Canada. - Je pars au Japon.
/ʒə paʁ o ʒa.pɔ̃/
I’m leaving for Japan. - J’habite aux États-Unis.
/ʒa.bit oz‿e.ta.zy.ni/
I live in the United States.
You don’t need to memorize which countries are “grammatically feminine” right now; start with the ones you need and steal the pattern.
Saying “From” A Country
Same idea with de:
- de for feminine / vowel
- du /dy/ = de + le for masculine singular
- des /de/ = de + les for plural
Examples:
- Je viens de France.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ də fʁɑ̃s/
I’m from France. - Je viens d’Italie.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ di.ta.li/
I’m from Italy. - Je viens du Canada.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dy ka.na.da/
I’m from Canada. - Je viens des États-Unis.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dez‿e.ta.zy.ni/
I’m from the United States.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes (Save Yourself Some Embarrassment)
1. Don’t Say “Je suis France”
You want:
- Je viens de France. — I’m from France.
- Je suis français / française. — I’m French.
Mixing them gives… weird sentences:
- ✗ Je suis France.
- ✗ Je viens français.
Country = with en/au/aux + de/du/des
Nationality = adjective: français/française, américain/américaine, etc.
2. Lowercase For Languages And Adjectives Of Nationality
- le français, l’anglais, l’espagnol — usually lower-case.
- un étudiant français, une amie japonaise — adjectives of nationality are lower-case.
Don’t copy English capitalization here.
3. Gender Of Nationalities
Remember to switch the ending for feminine:
- Je suis anglais. (m.) / anglaise. (f.)
- Je suis allemand. (m.) / allemande. (f.)
- Je suis brésilien. (m.) / brésilienne. (f.)
If you’re not sure, check how the masculine form ends:
- -ien → -ienne
- -ais → -aise
- -ien → often has that “double n + e” for feminine.
4. City Vs Country Prepositions
Good news: cities are mostly simple:
- à Paris /a pa.ʁi/ — in Paris
- à Londres /a lɔ̃dʁ/ — in London
Countries use en/au/aux, cities use à.
- Je vis à Paris, en France.
/ʒə vi a pa.ʁi ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/
5. “I Speak A Little French” — The Nuances
- Je parle un peu français. — neutral, factual.
- Je parle un petit peu français. — slightly more modest/friendly.
- Je parle très mal français. — I speak very bad French (self-deprecating, very French).
Region Notes: How French People Talk About Countries
You’ll hear some patterns when people in France talk about the world.
On first mention here:
- un étranger /œ̃ ne.tʁɑ̃.ʒe/ — a foreigner
Common phrases:
- Je suis étranger, je viens des États-Unis.
/ʒə sɥi ne.tʁɑ̃.ʒe ʒə vjɛ̃ dez‿e.ta.zy.ni/
I’m a foreigner, I’m from the U.S. - In casual speech, people might drop ne:
Je parle pas très bien français. — spoken French.
Accent notes:
- Your accent is not a problem. Many French people find foreign accents charming; they just need you to be clear with words like France /fʁɑ̃s/ vs français /fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ and anglais /ɑ̃.ɡlɛ/ vs l’anglais /lɑ̃.ɡlɛ/.
Mini Dialogues: Countries, Nationalities, Languages In Action
Each line: French, IPA, then natural English.
Dialogue 1: Basic “Where Are You From?”
Tu viens d’où ?
/ty vjɛ̃ du/
Where are you from?
Je viens d’Australie, de Sydney.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dos.tʁa.li də sid.nɛ/
I’m from Australia, from Sydney.
Ah, et tu parles français ?
/a e ty paʁl fʁɑ̃.sɛ/
Oh, and do you speak French?
Oui, un peu, mais l’anglais est ma langue maternelle.
/wi œ̃ pø mɛ lɑ̃.ɡlɛ ɛ ma lɑ̃ɡ ma.tɛʁ.nɛl/
Yes, a little, but English is my native language.
Dialogue 2: Talking About Nationalities
Tu es anglais ?
/ty e ɑ̃.ɡlɛ/
Are you English?
Non, je suis irlandais, mais j’habite en France.
/nɔ̃ ʒə sɥi iʁ.lɑ̃.dɛ mɛ ʒa.bit ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/
No, I’m Irish, but I live in France.
Et ta copine, elle est française ?
/e ta kɔ.pin ɛl ɛ fʁɑ̃.sɛz/
And your girlfriend, is she French?
Oui, elle est française et elle parle aussi anglais.
/wi ɛl ɛ fʁɑ̃.sɛz e ɛl paʁl o.si ɑ̃.ɡlɛ/
Yes, she’s French and she also speaks English.
Dialogue 3: At A Language School
Vous parlez quelles langues ?
/vu paʁ.le kɛl lɑ̃ɡ/
Which languages do you speak?
Je parle espagnol et un peu allemand.
/ʒə paʁl ɛs.pa.ɲɔl e œ̃ pø al.mɑ̃/
I speak Spanish and a little German.
Vous voulez apprendre le français, alors ?
/vu vu.le a.pʁɑ̃dʁ lə fʁɑ̃.sɛ a.lɔʁ/
So you want to learn French?
Oui, je veux parler français avec mes collègues en France.
/wi ʒə vø paʁ.le fʁɑ̃.sɛ a.vɛk me kɔ.lɛɡ ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/
Yes, I want to speak French with my colleagues in France.
Quick Reference: Core Country–Nationality–Language Patterns
| French | IPA | English |
| Je viens de France. | ʒə vjɛ̃ də fʁɑ̃s | I’m from France. |
| Je suis français(e). | ʒə sɥi fʁɑ̃.sɛ / fʁɑ̃.sɛz | I’m French (m./f.). |
| Je parle français. | ʒə paʁl fʁɑ̃.sɛ | I speak French. |
| Je viens des États-Unis. | ʒə vjɛ̃ dez‿e.ta.zy.ni | I’m from the U.S. |
| Je suis américain(e). | ʒə sɥi a.me.ʁi.kɛ̃ / a.me.ʁi.kɛn | I’m American (m./f.). |
| Je parle anglais. | ʒə paʁl ɑ̃.ɡlɛ | I speak English. |
| Je viens d’Espagne. | ʒə vjɛ̃ dɛs.paɲ | I’m from Spain. |
| Je suis espagnol(e). | ʒə sɥi ɛs.pa.ɲɔl | I’m Spanish (m./f.). |
| Je parle espagnol. | ʒə paʁl ɛs.pa.ɲɔl | I speak Spanish. |
| Je viens d’Italie. | ʒə vjɛ̃ di.ta.li | I’m from Italy. |
| Je suis italien(ne). | ʒə sɥi i.ta.ljɛ̃ / i.ta.ljɛn | I’m Italian (m./f.). |
| Je parle italien. | ʒə paʁl i.ta.ljɛ̃ | I speak Italian. |
| J’habite au Canada. | ʒa.bit o ka.na.da | I live in Canada. |
| J’habite en France. | ʒa.bit ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s | I live in France. |
| J’habite aux États-Unis. | ʒa.bit oz‿e.ta.zy.ni | I live in the U.S. |
| Je parle un peu français. | ʒə paʁl œ̃ pø fʁɑ̃.sɛ | I speak a little French. |
| Je comprends, mais je parle mal. | ʒə kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃ mɛ ʒə paʁl mal | I understand, but I speak badly. |
| Tu viens d’où ? | ty vjɛ̃ du | Where are you from? (informal) |
| Vous venez d’où ? | vu və.ne du | Where are you from? (polite/plural) |
Five-Minute Practice Plan: Build Your “About Me” In French
- Your Three Sentences (1–2 minutes)
Say out loud, customized to you:
- Je viens de… (country)
- Je suis… (nationality, m./f.)
- Je parle… (languages)
- Je viens de… (country)
- City + Country Combo (1 minute)
Add your city:
J’habite à [city], en/au/aux [country].
For example:
J’habite à Taipei, à Londres, à New York, en France, au Japon, aux États-Unis. - Language Skill Levels (1 minute)
Make three honest sentences about your languages:
- Je parle… couramment.
- Je parle un peu…
- Je ne parle pas…
- Je parle… couramment.
- Mini Interview In The Mirror (1 minute)
Ask and answer yourself:
- Tu viens d’où ?
- Tu parles quelles langues ?
- Tu habites où ?
Keeping it in French the whole time is the main goal.
- Tu viens d’où ?
- Real-Life Mission (30 seconds)
Decide that next time someone asks you about yourself — online, at a language exchange, wherever — you’ll use your French version:
Je viens de… Je suis… Je parle…
Say it once now so it’s ready when your inner yak is on stage.
From Flags To Conversations: Make It Personal
Learning country names and nationalities isn’t about passing a geography test; it’s how you introduce your real, messy, interesting self in French. When Je viens de…, Je suis…, and Je parle… roll out of your mouth without panic, French stops being something that happens only in exercises and starts being the language you use to claim your place in the world.
Pick your three key sentences, practice them until they feel boring, and then go use them with actual humans. That’s when the fun starts — and when you officially stop being “from Google Translate” and start being toi-même in French.