This French 3 lesson explains francophone world step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on francophone world and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: French is spoken on five continents by more than 300 million people, from Québec and Martinique to Senegal, Belgium, Switzerland and Tahiti. To say where you are or where you go, use à with cities, au with masculine countries, en with feminine countries and aux with plural ones. To say where you come from, use de, du or des.
Level: French 3 (high school, ACTFL Intermediate Low) · Standards: ACTFL Intermediate Low, WL 1.1 Interpersonal, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational, WL 2.1 Cultural Practices
Francophone world: the lesson
Where is French spoken around the world?
French is not only the language of France. Speakers live in Europe, North America, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and a French-speaking person is called un francophone. Here are six places you should know.
| Place | Main city | Language fact |
|---|---|---|
| le Québec | Montréal | French is the only official language of the province. |
| le Sénégal | Dakar | French is official; Wolof is widely spoken. |
| la Belgique | Liège, Bruxelles | Three official languages: Dutch, French, German. |
| la Suisse | Lausanne, Genève | Four national languages; French is spoken in the west. |
| la Martinique | Fort-de-France | Part of France; Creole is spoken alongside French. |
| Tahiti | Papeete | In French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. |
Which preposition goes with which place?
Rule: prepositions with places
Use à with cities. With countries, check the gender: feminine countries (most end in -e) and countries starting with a vowel take en; masculine countries take au; plural names take aux. To say where someone comes from, use de, du, des.
Examples
Ma cousine habite à Liège, en Belgique. — My cousin lives in Liège, in Belgium.
Nous allons au Sénégal et aux Antilles. — We are going to Senegal and to the Antilles.
Elle vient du Québec, il vient d’Algérie. — She comes from Québec, he comes from Algeria.
Islands vary: à Tahiti, à Madagascar, à La Réunion, but en Martinique and en Guadeloupe (you will also hear à la Martinique).
How do you link cultural products to places?
Use venir de with the same pattern: La poutine vient du Québec. Tintin vient de Belgique. Le zouk vient des Antilles. Le thiéboudienne vient du Sénégal.
Common mistake
English uses “in” or “to” for every place. In French, never write à Sénégal or en États-Unis. Also, à Québec is the city, while au Québec is the province.
Culture note
Each year on March 20, the International Day of La Francophonie celebrates the French-speaking world. Switzerland, Belgium and Canada have several official or national languages, so many speakers there are multilingual.
Zoé’s tip
Cities always take à. For countries, look at the ending: -e usually means en, otherwise au. Then swap for “from”: à → de, au → du, aux → des, en → de.
Key points to remember
- French is spoken on five continents by more than 300 million people.
- Cities take à (à Dakar); feminine countries take en (en Belgique); masculine countries take au (au Sénégal); plural countries take aux (aux États-Unis).
- To say where someone comes from, à becomes de, au becomes du, aux becomes des, and en becomes de or d’.
- Belgium has three official languages and Switzerland has four national languages.
- Francophone cultural products include zouk, Tintin, poutine and thiéboudienne.
Around the World in French: frequently asked questions
How many people speak French in the world?
More than 300 million people speak French, on five continents. Besides France, large French-speaking communities live in Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, many African countries, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
When do you use en, au or aux before a country?
Use en before feminine countries and countries that start with a vowel, like en Belgique. Use au before masculine countries, like au Maroc, and aux before plural ones, like aux États-Unis.
How do you say where someone comes from?
Use venir de with the same pattern: de Dakar, de Suisse, du Sénégal, des États-Unis. En becomes de or d’ before a vowel, and au becomes du.
What is the difference between à Québec and au Québec?
À Québec means in Québec City, the capital of the province. Au Québec means in the province of Québec, so à Montréal, au Québec is correct.
Is Martinique a country?
No. Martinique is an island in the Caribbean that is part of France. People there speak French and Creole, and the main city is Fort-de-France.