Animals

1. le chien

   Dog

   Usage

   "J'ai été mordu par un chien" — a dog bit me. In France dogs are welcome in most cafés and restaurants

2. le chat

   Cat

   Usage

   For the resident cat at a guesthouse. If you react, say "je suis allergique aux chats"

3. l'oiseau

   Bird

   Usage

   Birdwatching is "l'observation des oiseaux" — the word to know in reserves such as the Camargue

   Grammar Note

   Masculine; the plural "les oiseaux" takes an -x

4. le poisson

   Fish

   Usage

   The same word for the animal and the dish. April Fools' Day in France is "le poisson d'avril"

5. le cheval

   Horse

   Usage

   Riding is "l'équitation" and a hack is "une balade à cheval". The white horses of the Camargue are famous

   Grammar Note

   Irregular plural "les chevaux"

6. la vache

   Cow

   Usage

   On farms and mountain paths. In Alpine pastures a dog can make mother cows defensive. As an exclamation, "oh la vache !" means "wow!"

7. le cochon

   Pig

   Usage

   The animal; the meat is "le porc". If you avoid it, say "sans porc" when ordering

8. la poule

   Hen

   Usage

   The live bird; the meat is "le poulet". The rooster, "le coq", is a national emblem and appears on France's sports jerseys

9. le canard

   Duck

   Usage

   A park-pond regular, and a cornerstone of south-western cooking — "confit de canard" is the classic

10. la chèvre

    Goat

    Usage

    On farms and at cheese counters — "chèvre" is also the name of the cheese, as in "crottin de Chavignol"

11. le mouton

    Sheep

    Usage

    Grazing across Provence and the Pyrenees. The summer move to high Alpine pasture — "la transhumance" — is celebrated with village festivals

12. l'âne

    Donkey

    Usage

    Trekking with one is a Cévennes speciality. Applied to a person it means "fool", so keep it for the animal

13. le lapin

    Rabbit

    Usage

    Common in fields at dusk. The idiom "poser un lapin" means to stand someone up

14. la souris

    Mouse

    Usage

    Report one to reception. The bigger kind is "le rat". The computer mouse shares the word

15. l'écureuil

    Squirrel

    Usage

    Common in the Jardin du Luxembourg and in French woodland — the native one is the tufted-eared red squirrel

16. le renard

    Fox

    Usage

    Seen in the countryside and suburbs. The French word itself comes from Renart, the trickster hero of the medieval fox tales

17. le cerf

    Deer

    Usage

    In the forests of Fontainebleau and Chambord. Watch for them on roads after dark

    Grammar Note

    The final "f" is silent

18. le sanglier

    Wild boar

    Usage

    Numbers are rising in French woodland. In the autumn hunting season look for "chasse en cours" notices and stay off those trails

19. l'ours

    Bear

    Usage

    In France a protected rarity of the Pyrenees. In Quebec black bears are common and campers must store food properly

    Grammar Note

    Masculine, and the final "s" is pronounced in the singular

20. la marmotte

    Marmot

    Usage

    The star of high Alpine summers — you hear its shrill alarm whistle before you see it. "Dormir comme une marmotte" means to sleep soundly

21. le hérisson

    Hedgehog

    Usage

    A nocturnal garden visitor, and a protected species in France — you may not catch or keep one

    Grammar Note

    An aspirated "h": say "le hérisson" with no elision or liaison

22. la chauve-souris

    Bat

    Usage

    Literally "bald mouse". Out at dusk by rivers, around old buildings and in the caves of the Dordogne. See a doctor if one bites you

23. le pigeon

    Pigeon

    Usage

    In every square. Feeding them is banned in Paris and can bring a fine

24. la mouette

    Seagull

    Usage

    They go for your food along the Breton and Riviera coasts. The bigger species is "le goéland"

25. le serpent

    Snake

    Usage

    In France only the "vipère" is venomous, most often on southern rocky slopes. If bitten, stay still and call 15 for an ambulance

26. le lézard

    Lizard

    Usage

    Basking on every wall in the south — harmless. The verb "lézarder" means to laze in the sun

27. la grenouille

    Frog

    Usage

    Around ponds and wetlands. Frogs' legs — "les cuisses de grenouille" — are a regional speciality in Burgundy, not everyday fare

28. le moustique

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Repellent is "l'anti-moustique" and a bite "une piqûre" — show that at a pharmacy. The striped "moustique tigre" is now a problem in the south

29. la mouche

    Fly

    Usage

    Comes up when eating on a terrace. The Paris tour boats, "bateaux-mouches", carry the word — though the name comes from a shipyard district

30. l'abeille

    Bee

    Usage

    If you carry an EpiPen, say "je suis allergique aux piqûres d'abeille" up front

31. la guêpe

    Wasp

    Usage

    They crowd terraces in late summer — swat and you get stung, so stay still. The big invasive hornet is "le frelon asiatique"

32. la fourmi

    Ant

    Usage

    Report them to reception if they get into your room, and keep food sealed

33. le cafard

    Cockroach

    Usage

    Grounds for asking to change rooms. Note the idiom "avoir le cafard", which means to feel down

34. l'araignée

    Spider

    Usage

    French spiders are essentially harmless. Common in attics and old stone buildings

35. la tique

    Tick

    Usage

    The one to watch for on forest trails — it carries Lyme disease. Say "j'ai été piqué par une tique" at a doctor. Pharmacies sell a "tire-tique" removal tool

36. la méduse

    Jellyfish

    Usage

    Summer blooms are common on Mediterranean beaches. Tell a lifeguard "j'ai été piqué par une méduse"

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