French Vocabulary

122 practice makes perfect French Vocabulary

Ils sont parisiens. Th ey are from Paris.

Elles sont parisiennes. Th ey are from Paris.

Th ere are many adjectives that indicate the region or city in France a person comes from.

Mireille est niçoise. Mireille is from Nice.

Fernand est marseillais. Fernand is from Marseilles.

Adjectives are also frequently used to describe a culinary specialty of a region or a city. Ex-

amples of such specialties with brief descriptions are included in the following list.

alsacien(ne) from the Alsace region

Riesling alsacien Alsatian Riesling wine

bourguignon(ne) from the Burgundy region

bœuf bourguignon beef cooked in Burgundy wine

breton(ne) from the Brittany region

crêpe bretonne thin pancake

lorrain(e) from the Lorraine region

quiche lorraine egg, cheese, ham, and cream quiche

L’apparence physique (Physical appearance)

Some frequently used adjectives to describe a person oft en describe the hair, eyes, size, and

weight.

baraqué well built

beau, belle handsome, beautiful

blond(e) blond

châtain(e) brown haired

dodu(e) plump

fl uet(te), élancé(e) slender

grand(e) tall

grisonnant(e) grayish (hair)

gros, grosse fat

jeune young

joli(e) pretty

laid(e) ugly

maigre skinny

mignon(ne) cute

mince thin

moche ugly

musclé(e) muscular

petit(e) small

ridé(e) wrinkled

roux, rousse red haired

séduisant(e) attractive, seductive

sexy sexy

trapu(e) stocky

vieux, vieille old

Cette actrice est très séduisante. Th is actress is very seductive.

Mon père est grisonnant sur les côtés. My father is getting gray hair on the sides.

Ce garçon est petit mais musclé. Th at boy is small but muscular.