How to Say "French" in French: Le Français, Its ç and Its Capital F
French in French is le français, pronounced /frahn-SEH/. Learn the ç cedilla, when Français takes a capital, and how to say "I speak French."
“French” in French is français, pronounced /frahn-SEH/, and the language is le français. Use lowercase for the language and adjective (je parle français, un vin français), but a capital F for the people: un Français, une Française. The ç cedilla keeps the c sounding like s.
Quick answer
”French” in French is français, pronounced /frahn-SEH/, and the language is le français. Use lowercase for the language and adjective (je parle français, un vin français), but a capital F for the people: un Français, une Française. The ç cedilla keeps the c sounding like s.
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Pronunciation: /frahn-SEH/
The nasal an /ah(n)/, the ç making a clean /s/, and a silent final s. The feminine form, française, sounds /frahn-SEZ/ - the final s becomes audible. For the nasal-vowel system this word demonstrates, see our French pronunciation guide.
The cédille: why français has a ç
Before a, o or u, a plain c would sound like /k/ - the cedilla underneath keeps it /s/ instead, so français doesn’t accidentally sound like “frankeh.” The same trick shows up in garçon (boy), ça (that) and leçon (lesson). For the full accent-mark system, see the French alphabet.
One word, three jobs (the capitalization rule)
| Job | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Language | le français (lowercase) | J’apprends le français. |
| Adjective | français(e) (lowercase) | Un livre français. Une chanson française. |
| Person | un Français / une Française (CAPITAL) | J’ai rencontré un Français. |
English capitalizes all three uses; French capitalizes only the person. Worked example: J’apprends le français avec un Français (I’m learning French with a Frenchman) - same word, two different capitalizations in one sentence.
Saying “I speak French” (sentence kit)
Je parle français /zhuh parl frahn-SEH/ is the idiomatic everyday form - no article needed. Je parle le français is also grammatically correct, just slightly more formal-sounding. J’apprends le français (I’m learning French) requires the article with apprendre. And to say you’re not there yet: je ne parle pas encore bien français.
The phrase en français (in French) shows up constantly - comment dit-on… en français ? is covered in full in how do you say… in French.
Bonus: French about France
La France (the country), français de France vs français québécois (regional variety), francophone (French-speaking), and la francophonie (the international French-speaking world) round out the family. For the international scope of that last term, see how many people speak French worldwide.
One word, three grammatical jobs, one silent capitalization rule - get this pattern down and you’ve cleared one of the most persistent small errors English speakers make writing French.
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Questions about this note
Is it français or Français?
Lowercase for the language and adjective; capital F only for a French person.
Why does français have a ç?
Before a, the cedilla keeps the c sounding like /s/; without it, français would sound like it starts with /k/.
Do you say je parle français or je parle le français?
Both are correct; je parle français without the article is the idiomatic everyday form.
What is française?
The feminine form: une voiture française (a French car), une Française (a French woman).
What does francophone mean?
French-speaking, describing a person or place; la francophonie is the whole French-speaking world.