Languages › French Spot the Mistake in 'Parlez-Vous Français' In French, the names of languages are not capitalized Share Flipboard Email Print Blend Images - Dave and Les Jacobs / Brand X Pictures / Getty Images French Grammar Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Updated August 06, 2019 What's wrong with the French phrase Parlez-vous Français? That's an easy one: It contains a spelling error. It should be written: Parlez-vous français? with a lowercase f in français. Here's why. The French word français has three English equivalents: two nouns (French the language and French the nationality or person) and French the adjective. All three forms are capitalized in English. Language Names Are Lowercased in French In French, however, français is only capitalized when it is used as a noun identifying a nationality, such as the following: Les Français aiment le vin (The French like wine). When français is used as an adjective or refers to the language, however, the f is lowercase, not capitalized: J'aime le vin français (I like French wine). Many beginning French students make this mistake, as do many Francophones who speak English well. They capitalize français, espagnol, and the like, whether the word is a noun, adjective, or language because nationalities and languages are always capitalized in English. Likewise, the names of all languages are lowercase, as with l'anglais, le portugais, le chinois, l'arabe, l'allemand, le japonais, le russe, etc. For French nationalities, the proper noun and adjective are spelled exactly the same, but the proper noun is capitalized, while the adjective is not capitalized. Thus, in French we write: un type américain (adjective) = an American guyBUT un Américain (noun identifying nationality) = an American Elle aime la cuisine espagnole. (adjective) = She likes Spanish food/cuisine.BUT Elle s'est mariée avec un Espagnol. (noun identifying nationality) = She married a Spaniard.J'ai vu un animal mignon australien. (adjective) = I saw a cute Australian animal. BUT J'ai vu un Australien. (noun identifying nationality) = I saw an Australian. Correct Usage and Their Meanings Un Français = a FrenchmanUne Française = a French womanLes Français = the French people, the French OR FrenchmenLes Françaises = French womanLe Français n'aime pas... = The average Frenchman or French person doesn't like ...Le français = the French languageparler français = to speak Frenchen bon français = in proper Frenchle français courant = fluent FrenchIl parle français couramment. = He speaks French fluently.à la française = French or French-style; (in) the French wayTerritoire français des Afars et des Issas = French Territory of Afars and Issasle français seconde langue = French as a second languageun leçon de français = a French lessonun cours de français = a French courseune faute de français = a grammatical mistake in Frenchécorcher le français = to speak terrible Frenchchez les Français = among the Frenchfaire du français (...en s'amusant, ...en maternelle, etc) = to do French or the French way (...in having fun, ...in nursery school, etc.)le mal français = main issues of French society, problems of France Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation ThoughtCo. "Spot the Mistake in 'Parlez-Vous Français'." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/parlez-vous-francais-french-mistake-1369457. ThoughtCo. (2020, August 26). Spot the Mistake in 'Parlez-Vous Français'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/parlez-vous-francais-french-mistake-1369457 ThoughtCo. "Spot the Mistake in 'Parlez-Vous Français'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/parlez-vous-francais-french-mistake-1369457 (accessed March 4, 2021). copy citation