allemand
/al.mɑ̃/masculine
The French word for the German language is allemand.
allemand is used to refer to the German language.
Meaning: the German language (name)
Which one should you use?
In French, unlike English, the word for the German language or a German adjective is not capitalized. It is written as allemand.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an adjective to describe a masculine noun, the form is allemand. When used as an adjective to describe a feminine noun, the form changes to allemande.
How do you pronounce it?
allemand is pronounced /al.mɑ̃/ and has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly capitalize the word for the language (allemand) in French, but it should be lowercase.
Did you know?
- The word allemand comes from the name of the Alamanni people. In their own ancient language, this name literally meant 'all men' or 'all people'.
- If you use allemand to refer to a person, such as 'un Allemand', you must capitalize it. However, when using it as an adjective or to name the language, it remains lowercase.
- French is one of the few languages that uses a term derived from a specific subgroup of people, the Alamanni, to refer to the entire German population.
Examples in context
- Ton allemand est bon.Your German is good.This sentence uses allemand to comment on the quality of someone's German.Tatoeba #5984038 by christian63, translation #6014411 by zumley
- Est-ce de l'allemand ?Is that German?This sentence uses allemand to ask if a specific thing is the German language.Tatoeba #10166445 by felix63, translation #10166405 by ddnktr
- Penses-tu en allemand ?Do you think in German?This sentence uses allemand to ask if someone's thoughts are in the German language.Tatoeba #1494506 by nimfeo, translation #1494504 by CN
- Je parle l'allemand couramment.I speak German fluently.
- J'étudie la langue allemande depuis plusieurs années.I've been studying the German language for several years.
- Les personnes allemandes sont très accueillantes.People from Germany are very welcoming.
- Wow, tu parles bien l'allemand !Wow, you speak German so well!
- Les Allemands sont connus pour leur précision.Germans are known for their precision.
- En Suisse, on parle aussi l'allemand.In Switzerland, they also speak German.
- 496 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are at a bookstore.
- GabrielCherches-tu un livre en allemand ?Are you looking for a book in German?
- LéaOui, je veux apprendre l'allemand.Yes, I want to learn German.
- GabrielL'allemand est une belle langue.German is a beautiful language.
- LéaMerci, c'est gentil de ta part.Thank you, that's kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “german” translations and entries allemand, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries allemand, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
