{"id":85,"date":"2026-09-30T17:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/animals-in-french\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:07:09","slug":"animals-in-french","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/animals-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Animals in French: vocabulary list, pronunciation and a classroom routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Animal vocabulary in French<\/h2>\n\n

In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the syllable to lean on slightly (French stress is light and falls on the last syllable). (n) marks a nasal vowel: air goes through the nose and the n itself is not pronounced. “zh” is the s in “measure”, “uh” is the short vowel in “the”, and “\u00fc” is “ee” said with rounded lips.<\/p>\n\n

Pets<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
le chien \/ la chienne<\/td>dog<\/td>shya(n) \/ shyen<\/td><\/tr>
le chat<\/td>cat<\/td>shah<\/td><\/tr>
le poisson<\/td>fish<\/td>pwa-SO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
l’oiseau (m.)<\/td>bird<\/td>lwa-ZOH<\/td><\/tr>
le lapin<\/td>rabbit<\/td>la-PA(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le hamster<\/td>hamster<\/td>am-STAIR<\/td><\/tr>
le cochon d’Inde<\/td>guinea pig<\/td>ko-sho(n)-DA(N)D<\/td><\/tr>
la tortue<\/td>tortoise, turtle<\/td>tor-T\u00dc<\/td><\/tr>
la souris<\/td>mouse<\/td>soo-REE<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Farm animals<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
le cheval (les chevaux)<\/td>horse<\/td>shuh-VAL \/ shuh-VOH<\/td><\/tr>
la vache<\/td>cow<\/td>vash<\/td><\/tr>
le taureau<\/td>bull<\/td>toh-ROH<\/td><\/tr>
le cochon<\/td>pig<\/td>ko-SHO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le mouton<\/td>sheep<\/td>moo-TO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
la ch\u00e8vre<\/td>goat<\/td>SHEV-ruh<\/td><\/tr>
la poule<\/td>hen<\/td>pool<\/td><\/tr>
le coq<\/td>cockerel<\/td>kok<\/td><\/tr>
le canard<\/td>duck<\/td>ka-NAR<\/td><\/tr>
l’\u00e2ne (m.)<\/td>donkey<\/td>lahn<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Wild animals<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
le lion \/ la lionne<\/td>lion \/ lioness<\/td>lyo(n) \/ lyon<\/td><\/tr>
le tigre<\/td>tiger<\/td>TEE-gruh<\/td><\/tr>
l’\u00e9l\u00e9phant (m.)<\/td>elephant<\/td>lay-lay-FAH(N)<\/td><\/tr>
la girafe<\/td>giraffe<\/td>zhee-RAF<\/td><\/tr>
le singe<\/td>monkey<\/td>sa(n)zh<\/td><\/tr>
l’ours (m.)<\/td>bear<\/td>loorss<\/td><\/tr>
le loup<\/td>wolf<\/td>loo<\/td><\/tr>
le renard<\/td>fox<\/td>ruh-NAR<\/td><\/tr>
le h\u00e9risson<\/td>hedgehog<\/td>ay-ree-SO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le serpent<\/td>snake<\/td>ser-PAH(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le crocodile<\/td>crocodile<\/td>kro-ko-DEEL<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Sea creatures, birds and minibeasts<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
la baleine<\/td>whale<\/td>ba-LEN<\/td><\/tr>
le dauphin<\/td>dolphin<\/td>doh-FA(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le requin<\/td>shark<\/td>ruh-KA(N)<\/td><\/tr>
l’aigle (m.)<\/td>eagle<\/td>LEH-gluh<\/td><\/tr>
le hibou (les hiboux)<\/td>owl<\/td>ee-BOO<\/td><\/tr>
le papillon<\/td>butterfly<\/td>pa-pee-YO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
l’abeille (f.)<\/td>bee<\/td>la-BAY<\/td><\/tr>
l’araign\u00e9e (f.)<\/td>spider<\/td>la-reh-NYAY<\/td><\/tr>
la fourmi<\/td>ant<\/td>foor-MEE<\/td><\/tr>
l’escargot (m.)<\/td>snail<\/td>les-kar-GOH<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Animal words are almost the same across the French-speaking world. Quebec has a few everyday words of its own: un maringouin<\/span> (mosquito, un moustique<\/span> in France) and, informally, une bibitte<\/span> (a bug or creepy-crawly).<\/p>\n\n

Gender: le chien, la chienne<\/h2>\n\n
  1. Some animals have a masculine and a feminine form.<\/strong> le chien<\/span>, la chienne<\/span>; le lion<\/span>, la lionne<\/span>. The masculine is the default for the species: J’adore les chiens.<\/span><\/li>
  2. Some pairs use two different words.<\/strong> le taureau<\/span> and la vache<\/span>, le coq<\/span> and la poule<\/span>, le cheval<\/span> and la jument<\/span> (mare), le cochon<\/span> and la truie<\/span> (sow).<\/li>
  3. Many animals have one gender only.<\/strong> la girafe<\/span>, la souris<\/span>, la baleine<\/span>, la tortue<\/span>, le serpent<\/span>, le requin<\/span>. To specify the sex, add m\u00e2le<\/span> or femelle<\/span>: une girafe m\u00e2le<\/span>.<\/li>
  4. L’ hides the gender.<\/strong> l’oiseau<\/span> is masculine, l’abeille<\/span> feminine. Teach these with un<\/span> or une<\/span>: un oiseau<\/span>, une abeille<\/span>, une araign\u00e9e<\/span>.<\/li>
  5. Le chat is the everyday word for any cat.<\/strong> The feminine la chatte<\/span> exists, but it is also a vulgar slang word, which is one more reason to teach le chat<\/span> as the default.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Plurals to watch<\/h3>\n\n
    • -al becomes -aux:<\/strong> un cheval<\/span>, des chevaux<\/span>; un animal<\/span>, des animaux<\/span>.<\/li>
    • -eau takes x:<\/strong> un oiseau<\/span>, des oiseaux<\/span>; un taureau<\/span>, des taureaux<\/span>.<\/li>
    • Hibou is one of seven -ou nouns that take x:<\/strong> des hiboux<\/span>, like des genoux<\/span> and des poux<\/span> (lice).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

      Pronunciation for English speakers<\/h2>\n\n
      • Silent final consonants:<\/strong> chat<\/span>, loup<\/span>, renard<\/span>, escargot<\/span>, canard<\/span>. But l’ours<\/span> and le coq<\/span> sound their last letter.<\/li>
      • poisson or poison?<\/strong> Le poisson<\/span> (fish) has a hissing ss; le poison<\/span> has a buzzing z. A single s between two vowels always sounds like z: l’oiseau<\/span>.<\/li>
      • Liaison:<\/strong> les oiseaux<\/span> is “lay-zwa-ZOH”, les \u00e9l\u00e9phants<\/span> is “lay-zay-lay-FAH(N)”. The s wakes up before a vowel.<\/li>
      • Aspirated h, no liaison:<\/strong> le hamster<\/span>, le hibou<\/span>, le h\u00e9risson<\/span> keep le<\/span>, and there is no liaison in les hiboux<\/span> (lay-ee-BOO). The h is still silent.<\/li>
      • The French u:<\/strong> la tortue<\/span>. Say “ee” and round your lips; “tor-TOO” is a different vowel.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

        Useful phrases and idioms<\/h2>\n\n

        Tu as un animal ?<\/span>Have you got a pet?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        J’ai un chien qui s’appelle Max.<\/span>I’ve got a dog called Max.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Mon animal pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9, c’est le dauphin, parce qu’il est intelligent.<\/span>My favourite animal is the dolphin because it’s clever.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        J’ai peur des araign\u00e9es.<\/span>I’m scared of spiders.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        “Pet” is un animal de compagnie<\/span>, or simply un animal<\/span> in conversation. After a negative, un<\/span> becomes de<\/span>: Je n’ai pas de chat<\/span>, pas d’animal<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

        Animal noises are a KS2 favourite: le chien fait ouaf<\/span>, le chat fait miaou<\/span>, la vache fait meuh<\/span>, le coq fait cocorico<\/span>, le canard fait coin-coin<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

        Common idioms<\/h3>\n\n
        French<\/th>Literally<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
        avoir un chat dans la gorge<\/td>to have a cat in your throat<\/td>to have a frog in your throat<\/td><\/tr>
        poser un lapin<\/td>to put down a rabbit<\/td>to stand someone up<\/td><\/tr>
        quand les poules auront des dents<\/td>when hens have teeth<\/td>when pigs fly<\/td><\/tr>
        avoir une faim de loup<\/td>to have a wolf’s hunger<\/td>to be starving<\/td><\/tr>
        donner sa langue au chat<\/td>to give your tongue to the cat<\/td>to give up guessing<\/td><\/tr>
        revenons \u00e0 nos moutons<\/td>let’s get back to our sheep<\/td>let’s get back to the point<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

        Donner sa langue au chat<\/span> is perfect for riddles: when the class gives up, they say On donne notre langue au chat !<\/span><\/p>\n\n

        Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
        • Learning l’oiseau without its gender<\/strong>, then writing “la oiseau”.<\/li>
        • “Des chevals”, “des animals”:<\/strong> it is des chevaux<\/span>, des animaux<\/span>.<\/li>
        • Poisson said with a z<\/strong>, which turns fish into poison.<\/li>
        • “L’hamster”:<\/strong> it is le hamster<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “Je n’ai pas un chien”:<\/strong> after a negative, pas de<\/span>.<\/li>
        • Animal legs:<\/strong> animals have des pattes<\/span>, not des jambes<\/span>: Une araign\u00e9e a huit pattes.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

          In class: animals as a word of the day<\/h2>\n\n
          1. Show the picture and the English word: “hedgehog”.<\/li>
          2. Ask Comment dit-on “hedgehog” en fran\u00e7ais ?<\/span> Pupils whisper a guess to a partner or write it on a mini whiteboard.<\/li>
          3. Reveal le h\u00e9risson<\/span> with its pronunciation. The class repeats it together, then two or three pupils alone. Point out le<\/span>, not l’<\/span>.<\/li>
          4. Show the example sentence: Le h\u00e9risson dort pendant l’hiver.<\/span><\/li>
          5. Give the reuse task: pupils describe the animal with il est<\/span> and il a<\/span>: Il est petit et il a des piquants.<\/span><\/li>
          6. Recall yesterday’s animal: Comment dit-on “owl” ?<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

            That is exactly what a daily routine does: one word, seen, heard, said and reused, then brought back the next day.<\/p>\n\n

            Riddles and games<\/h3>\n\n

            Qui suis-je ?<\/span> riddles turn known words into a listening task: Je suis grand et gris, j’ai une trompe et de grandes oreilles. Qui suis-je ?<\/span> (l’\u00e9l\u00e9phant<\/span>). From A2, pupils write their own riddle with je suis<\/span>, j’ai<\/span>, j’habite<\/span> and je mange<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

            • A1<\/b>Name the animal with its article and a colour: C’est un chat noir.<\/span><\/li>
            • A2<\/b>Pets and descriptions: J’ai un chien. Il s’appelle Max et il est tr\u00e8s mignon.<\/span><\/li>
            • B1<\/b>Comparisons and habitats: Le gu\u00e9pard est plus rapide que le lion. Il vit dans la savane.<\/span><\/li>
            • B2<\/b>Opinions and idioms: Il faut que nous prot\u00e9gions les baleines.<\/span> Il a une faim de loup !<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

              At KS2, animal noises and a mime game are enough. At KS3, insist on un<\/span> \/ une<\/span> and the plurals in -aux. At GCSE, animals return through the environment: move on to comparisons and opinions.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Pets, farm and wild animals in French with their article, how to say them, the plurals in -aux and a picture-based word of the day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":26,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Animals in French: List, Gender, Pronunciation | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"Animals in French with the article, gender and pronunciation for English speakers: pets, farm, wild animals, plurals in -aux, idioms and a daily routine.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"animaux","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"palabra","_vd_level":"A1","_vd_minutes":"7","_vd_card_word":"le chat\u2026","_vd_answer":"The most common animals in French are le chien<\/span> (dog), le chat<\/span> (cat), le poisson<\/span> (fish), l'oiseau<\/span> (bird), le lapin<\/span> (rabbit), le cheval<\/span> (horse), la vache<\/span> (cow) and le lion<\/span> (lion). Learn each with un<\/span> or une<\/span>, because l'<\/span> hides the gender, and watch the plurals: un cheval<\/span>, des chevaux<\/span>; un oiseau<\/span>, des oiseaux<\/span>.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the most common animals in French?\",\"a\":\"Le chien<\\\/span> (dog), le chat<\\\/span> (cat), le poisson<\\\/span> (fish), l'oiseau<\\\/span> (bird), le lapin<\\\/span> (rabbit), le cheval<\\\/span> (horse), la vache<\\\/span> (cow), le cochon<\\\/span> (pig), le lion<\\\/span> (lion) and l'\u00e9l\u00e9phant<\\\/span> (elephant).\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"pet\\\" in French?\",\"a\":\"Un animal de compagnie<\\\/span>, often shortened to un animal<\\\/span>: Tu as un animal ?<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"What is the plural of cheval?\",\"a\":\"Des chevaux<\\\/span>. Most nouns in -al change to -aux: un animal<\\\/span>, des animaux<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"Is it le hamster or l'hamster?\",\"a\":\"Le hamster<\\\/span>. Its h is \\\"aspirated\\\": silent, but it blocks elision and liaison, like le hibou<\\\/span> and le h\u00e9risson<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"What noise does a dog make in French?\",\"a\":\"Ouaf<\\\/span>: le chien fait ouaf<\\\/span>. The cockerel says cocorico<\\\/span> and the duck coin-coin<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"animaux-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-85","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/85","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/85\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}