Proper Nouns in French
In French, les noms propres(proper nouns) are words that name specific people, places, or things, like Alexandre Dumas(Alexandre Dumas), la Suisse(Switzerland), or la Tour Eiffel(the Eiffel Tower). The names of companies, brands, titles, planets, and holidays are also proper nouns. Like common nouns, proper nouns have grammatical gender, meaning they are categorized as either masculine or feminine, and they can be singular or plural in number. Unlike common nouns, French proper nouns are capitalized.
Questions This Article Answers
What is a proper noun in French?
What are some examples of French proper nouns?
What is the difference between a common noun and a proper noun in French?
How are proper nouns used in French?
How do I know the gender of a proper noun in French?
How do I make a proper noun plural in French?
How are French proper nouns different from English proper nouns?
What Are Proper Nouns in French?
In French, un nom propre(a proper noun) is used to name a specific person, place, or thing and is always capitalized. This is different from un nom commun(a common noun), which is a general word for a person, place, thing, idea, activity, or quality. This table shows some of the differences between common and proper nouns in French!
A Comparison of French Common Nouns and French Proper Nouns
| Category | French Common Noun | French Proper Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Person | une femme(a woman) | Édith Piaf(Édith Piaf) |
| Place | un fleuve(a river) | le Rhône(the Rhone) |
| Thing | une montre(a watch) | une Rolex(a Rolex) |
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What Are Some Examples of French Proper Nouns?
There are many different types of proper nouns:
- People’s names, including first names, last names, and pseudonyms
- Names of groups of people, like national or regional groups, cultural groups, historical civilizations, and team names
- Place names, like cities, countries, continents, rivers, mountains, monuments, buildings, street names
- Business names, including names of companies, stores, brands, organizations, and institutions
- Other names, like names of planets, holidays, and specific historical events
Examples of Proper Nouns in French
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How Are Proper Nouns Used in French?
Many proper nouns are used much in the same way you'd use common nouns in a sentence. However, there are some differences to be aware of. Below you'll find four key differences between common nouns and proper nouns!
Difference 1. The Gender of French Proper Nouns Is Not Always Obvious
Generally, proper nouns are similar to common nouns in that they both have grammatical gender, but there are a few extra things to keep in mind when determining the gender of a proper noun. For example, the proper noun below is masculine because it refers to un livre(a book), which is masculine. We've got some tips to help you with this in the next section of this article!
Difference 2. Many French Proper Nouns Are Invariable
While most common nouns can be singular or plural, there are some proper nouns that either can't be plural or can't be singular, and for those that can be either, many are invariable in number, meaning they don't change spelling in the plural. In the example below, the proper noun is a family last name, which is invariable, so it doesn't take an -s in the plural. We explain this in full and give you some examples further on in this article!
Difference 3. Some English Proper Nouns Are Common Nouns in French
Some words that are capitalized proper nouns in English—such as days of the week, months, and languages—are considered common nouns in French and are therefore not capitalized. In the example below, the person's name is capitalized, but the language she's learning is not, since languages are considered common nouns in French. Keep reading; later in the article, we'll give you a list of categories that are capitalized in English but not in French!
Difference 4. Articles Are Often Not Used With Proper Nouns in French
While common nouns almost always require a determiner, like the definite article le, la, or les(the), many proper nouns do not take a definite article in French, including people's names, names of cities, names of holidays, and a few other types of proper nouns. In the example below, neither proper noun takes a definite article in French. We'll give you all the details on this in further on in this article!
Tips for Knowing the Gender of French Proper Nouns
Most proper nouns have grammatical gender, meaning they are categorized as either masculine or feminine, just like common nouns. Check out the tips below for identifying the gender of a French proper noun.
Tip 1. Proper Nouns for People Correspond to Their Gender
When the proper noun is a person that has an identifiable gender, the grammatical gender of that noun will match the gender of the person. Adjectives or other words in the sentence can often indicate the gender of the proper noun.
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If the proper noun refers to a geographically-based group of people, an all-male group will be masculine plural, an all-female group will be feminine plural, and a mixed group will be, grammatically speaking, masculine plural.
Wondering why it’s important to know the gender of nouns in French? Check out the article below!
Tip 2. Proper Nouns for Some Geographical Places Can Be Identified By Their Endings
If you’ve never encountered this before, it may seem odd to think that names of places have gender in French, but they do! Luckily, there are some general rules that can help you know the gender of a place!
1. Most continents, countries, and regions that end in -e in French are feminine.
2. Countries and regions that don’t end in -e in French are masculine.
3. Cardinal point locations are masculine.
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Tip 3. Proper Nouns Often Match the Gender of Their Related Generic Common Noun
Most proper nouns will assume the gender of the common noun they relate to. For example, all names of planets are feminine in French because the French word la planète(planet) is feminine. Most brands of cars are feminine in French because the French word la voiture(car) is feminine. We'll give you some examples of proper nouns like this in the second half of this article, but here are a couple of sentences that illustrate the idea.
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Tip 4. Sometimes, It’s Complicated!
With some proper nouns, like cities and rivers, there’s no fixed rule regarding gender. Some are masculine and some are feminine. Some brand names sell multiple products, so the gender of the name might change depending on the product being discussed. If you’re unsure, you just have to figure it out from context clues, ask, or look it up!
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Pluralization Rules for French Proper Nouns
There are some special considerations regarding the pluralization of proper nouns in French. First off, there are many proper nouns that are unique individual people, places, or things, so they are never plural; similarly, there are many proper nouns that are always plural and can't be singular. Beyond that, there are some proper nouns that can be used in a plural sense, but are grammatically invariable, so there is no spelling change to indicate plurality. Others follow the regular rules for pluralization.
Main Rules for Making a French Proper Noun Plural
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Exceptions! There are some exceptions to these rules. Some specific family dynasty names can take a plural -s, like les Bourbons(the Bourbons). Also, proper nouns used as common nouns in everyday speech don't follow these rules. For example, the town Camembertis never plural, but the cheeses that are similar to the one invented in that town can be plural: les camemberts(the camemberts).
Find out more about the rules for making proper nouns plural in French, check out this more in-depth article!
Differences Between French Proper Nouns and English Proper Nouns
Some proper nouns in English are considered common nouns in French, and therefore aren't capitalized. Let's see some examples!
English Proper Nouns That Are Common Nouns in French
Languages, days of the week, months, nationalities (when used as adjectives), and religions are generally not capitalized in French, even though they are capitalized in English. Also, proper nouns that are used as common nouns in French, like some brand names, are not capitalized.
Don’t Confuse Proper Nouns for Nationalities With Adjectives or Languages
Many proper nouns for geographically-based groups of people are very similar to the adjectives used to describe a group of people (or to talk about things unique to that group) and to the names of their languages. Remember that proper nouns for a geographically-based group of people are always capitalized in French, but adjectives for these groups and languages spoken by these groups are not capitalized in French. Here are a couple of examples!
Articles and Common Nouns Describing a Proper Noun Are Not Capitalized in French
If a proper noun is used with an article or a common noun in French, do not capitalize those words, even if they are capitalized in English.
| French Example | English |
|---|---|
| le fleuve Saint-Laurent | the Saint Lawrence River |
| le jardin du Luxembourg | the Luxembourg Garden |
| le roi Louis XIV | King Louis XIV |
| l'avenue du Mont-Royal | Mont Royal Avenue |
Exceptions to this rule include proper nouns that have an article or a common noun as part of their name, like the name of the city Le Havre(Le Havre) or the municipality la Ville de Paris(the City of Paris).
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The first example refers to Paris, which happens to be a city, while the second example refers to la Ville de Paris, which is the name of the administrative organization that runs the city.
Rules About Using Definite Articles With French Proper Nouns
Unlike common nouns, many proper nouns can't be preceded by a definite article: le, la, or les (the). Here are the main categories that do not take an article: the name of a person, a city, an island, or a planet (other than Earth). Some holidays also don't take an article, though there are many exceptions.
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Exceptions! People's names or place names that include an article in the name in French obviously can be preceded by an article, like Madame La Roche(Mrs. La Roche) or les Alpes(the Alps). Holidays that are saint's days do take an article, like la Saint-Valentin(Valentine's Day), as do a host of other holidays like le Nouvel an(New Year's) or la fête du Travail(Labor Day).
