Brésilien
/bʁe.zi.ljɛ̃/masculine
In French, 'brazilian' (referring to a person) is Brésilien.
Brésilien is used to refer to a person from Brazil. For things pertaining to Brazil, the adjective brésilien or the word auriverde can be used.
Meaning: person from Brazil (noun)
Which one should you use?
When using the word as a noun to refer to a person, the first letter is capitalized (Brésilien). However, when using the word as an adjective, it is written in lowercase (brésilien).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form for the noun or adjective is Brésilienne, and the masculine plural form is Brésiliens.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /bʁe.zi.ljɛ̃/.
Did you know?
- Because of the shared history of the 'brazilwood' trade, the French word brésilien is etymologically linked to the word for 'ember' or 'glowing coal' due to the deep red color of the dye.
- The distinction between the capitalized Brésilien for a person and the lowercase brésilien for an adjective is a strict rule of French grammar that does not exist in English.
- Because the word ends in the nasal vowel sound /ɛ̃/, the 'en' at the end of Brésilien is not pronounced as a hard 'n' sound like in the English word 'pen'.
Examples in context
- Son oncle est brésilien.Her uncle is Brazilian.This sentence is useful for talking about a person's nationality using Brésilien.Tatoeba #10791911 by felix63, translation #12782690 by rul
- Elle et moi sommes brésiliens.She and I are Brazilian.This sentence uses the plural form of the word to show nationality.Tatoeba #2110438 by nicokdo, translation #882725 by CM
- Je suis brésilien et je n'abandonne jamais.I'm Brazilian and I never give up.This sentence shows how to use Brésilien to express personal identity.Tatoeba #11621779 by Adrien_FR, translation #5987648 by islandisto
- La cuisine brésilienne est délicieuseBrazilian cuisine is delicious
- En tant que citoyen brésilien, je suis fier de mon paysAs a Brazilian citizen, I am proud of my country
- Elle est originaire du BrésilShe is from Brazil
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are talking about a new neighbor.
- ChloéEst-ce que ton nouveau voisin est brésilien ?Is your new neighbor Brazilian?
- HugoOui, il est brésilien et il est très sympathique.Yes, he is Brazilian and he is very friendly.
- ChloéC'est génial, j'adore le Brésil !That's great, I love Brazil!
- HugoMoi aussi, je voudrais y aller un jour.Me too, I would like to go there one day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brazilian” translations and entries Brésilien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
