Afrique
/a.fʁik/feminine
The English word Africa is translated into French as Afrique.
Afrique is the name of the continent.
Meaning: continent (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Afrique is a feminine continent, the preposition en is used to mean 'in Africa' (en Afrique). When expressing origin or possession, such as 'the coast of Africa', use de l'Afrique instead of combining the preposition directly with the name.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.fʁik/
Did you know?
- The French term Afrique is a direct descendant of the Latin Āfrica, which itself is believed by many historians to stem from the name of a Phoenician tribe, the 'Afer'.
- In French, Afrique is grammatically feminine, which is why it takes the preposition en rather than au. Most continents in French are feminine, though le Moyen-Orient is masculine.
- The French term Afrique francophone is used to specifically describe the group of countries in Afrique where French is an official language.
Examples in context
- Il est né en Afrique.He was born in Africa.This sentence demonstrates how to use Afrique when discussing birthplaces.Tatoeba #130680 by Aiji, translation #288790 by CK
- L'Algérie est en Afrique.Algeria is in Africa.This sentence shows the use of Afrique when identifying which continent a country belongs to.Tatoeba #8730450 by Julien_PDC, translation #7866536 by Amastan
- Il fait chaud en Afrique.It's hot in Africa.This sentence illustrates how to use Afrique when describing the climate of the continent.Tatoeba #12195874 by lbdx, translation #8742033 by deniko
- 115 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their travel plans.
- NathanTu veux partir en Afrique ?Do you want to go to Africa?
- ManonOui, j'adore l'Afrique.Yes, I love Africa.
- NathanC'est un grand continent.It is a large continent.
- ManonOui, Nathan, c'est vrai.Yes, Nathan, that's true.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “africa” translations and entries Afrique, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Afrique, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
