1.1 Mon nom
Names in the Francophone World
“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asked.
Our names identify us as individuals- first name, middle name, and last name – and it’s the first thing we share with a new acquaintance. As you may suspect, names in French aren’t always like names in English. Often they are variations, sometimes they are even the same, thanks to globalization, occasionally they are traditionally French. So what are some popular French names? Which names are borrowed from English? Which names come from other areas of the world?
Let’s first take a look at a Coca-Cola commercial from France. Pay attention to the names you see. Do any of them look familiar?
Click on the video below and take note of the different and familiar names you see.
some useful vocab:
- ceux que vous aimez = those/the people you love
- une canette = a can
- partagez un coca= share a Coke
- c’est sympa = it’s nice
What names did you see?
Many French names can be used for both men and women, sometimes with different spelling but the same pronunciation ( René, Renée), other times the name spelling is exactly the same for men and women (e.g. Dominique). For centuries, French names were mostly saints’ names, and recognizably “French” – but nowadays, many Arabic and English names are also popular, sometimes adapted into more French forms. You can see if your first name is common in France. This site lists the popular baby names. (Check “fréquence” and use the “statistiques” box.) What is the closest version to your name? Is it popular now, or in the past?
Pratiquons!
See if you can tell masculine names from feminine names – sometimes you just can’t tell! Remember to look at the ending – if an extra e is added, it will be feminine. Then slide the name into the correct column: masculine, can’t tell (or both!), and feminine.
Pratiquons!
Take a look at the names below. Can you pronounce them? Are they masculine names or feminine? Or perhaps they can be both!
Écoutez bien. Puis, répétez ces prénoms français suivants. Est-ce qu’ils sont masculins ou féminins ?
- A Adèle
- B Béatrice
- C Claude
- D Dominique
- E Émile
- F Françoise
- G Gilles
- H Henri
- I Isabelle
- J Jérôme
- K Kevin
- L Laurence
- M Manon
- N Nicolas
- O Olivier
- P Pascale
- Q Quentin
- R Raphaël
- S Serge
- T Thérèse
- U Ulysse
- V Vanessa
- W William
- X Xavier
- Y Yves
- Z Zélie
- Notice that H is silent in French – Henri sounds like Enri.
Asking someone’s name – Comment Tu t’appelles?
The French alphabet has the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, but many of the sounds are different. Some letters have accents which can change the way that a word is pronounced. When spelling a word aloud, include the name of the accent after the letter.
Watch this video to learn all about French accents:
Accents
accent aigu: café coffee or café
accent grave: crème creme
accent circonflexe: château chateau
tréma : maïs corn (My people call it maize!)
cédille: français French
Of course, the letters of the alphabet are pronounced differently in French . Pay particular attention to G, J, H, W and Y.
Here is a dramatic and memorable song to help you learn these new sounds. It rocks!
What similarities do you hear?
What differences do you hear?
Now you need to learn to isolate and practice each sound. Click on each letter to hear the sound. Then, consult this site for more practice.
Let’s practice – Pratiquons!
ASKING SOMEONE’S NAME – COMMENT TU T’APPELLES?
Pratiquons!
ASKING SOMEONE’S NAME – COMMENT TU T’APPELLES?
Mathieu Boogaerts “Comment tu t’appelles” – Lyrics
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom non
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom, comment tu t’appelles?
Mais comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom non
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom, comment tu t’appelles?
Tu t’appelles pas l’eau
Tu t’appelles pas le ciel
Pas les animaux
Tu t’appelles pas mes oreilles
Tu t’appelles pas les mots
Tu t’appelles pas le vermeil
Tu t’appelles pas le beau …
vocabulaire utile
- Ça s’écrit comment? How is that spelled?
- écrivez! write down
- épelez! spell
- le nom last name
- le prénom first name
- le surnom nickname
- le camarade; la camarade friend, classmate
Let’s practice
Pratiquons!
La chasse aux noms. Either in class or in the discussion forum, find out the name of three of your classmates and how their name is spelled, You can use this dialogue as a model.
A: Comment tu t’appelles ?
B: Je m’appelle Shahira.
A: Ça s’écrit comment ?
B: S-H-A-H-I-R-A.
A: Et ton nom de famille?
B: Mon nom, c’est Jones. Je suis de Nashville.
A: Ça s’écrit comment ?
B: J-O-N-E-S. Et toi, comment tu t’appelles ?
Pour Rire
Une pause comique
Here is a comical video that demonstrates the difficulties that accents can bring.
