allemand
/al.mɑ̃/
The English phrase "german language" is allemand in French.
allemand refers to the language spoken by people in Germany and other German-speaking regions.
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, allemand can mean the German language or a German man. To refer specifically to German people in the plural, the form les Allemands is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the language itself, allemand is a masculine noun. When using it as an adjective to modify a feminine noun such as langue, the adjective form changes to allemande.
How do you pronounce it?
/al.mɑ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Unlike in English, the name of the language is not capitalized in French unless it is at the beginning of a sentence. You should write l'allemand rather than l'Allemand.
Did you know?
- The French word allemand shares a deep linguistic root with the English words 'all' and 'man'.
- While allemand refers to the language, the French word for the country, Allemagne, is an exceptional case where the name of the land is derived from the people rather than a geographic feature.
- In French, adjectives of nationality like allemand are not capitalized when they describe a person, but they are capitalized when they function as a noun referring to the people.
Examples in context
- La langue anglaise est proche de la langue allemande.The English language is cognate to the German language.This sentence is useful for comparing the English and German languages.Tatoeba #9846 by sacredceltic, translation #26290 by Objectivesea
- « Langue allemande – langue difficile », aiment dire les Allemands, mais en fait l'allemand n'est pas si difficile."German language – difficult language", the Germans like to say, but actually German is not so difficult.This sentence shows a common saying made by Germans about their language.Tatoeba #6166561 by felix63, translation #6166049 by carlosalberto
- Une part toujours croissante de la population est incapable d'employer pleinement la puissance d'expression de la langue allemande.An increasingly greater part of the population is not capable of fully utilizing the power of expression of the German language.This sentence illustrates how the phrase is used when discussing the expressive power of the language.Tatoeba #1447079 by sacredceltic, translation #1446014 by Dejo
- Je suis passionné(e) par la langue allemande.I am passionate about the German language.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their language classes at a cafe.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu étudies l'allemand ?Are you studying German?
- NathanOui, j'apprends l'allemand depuis deux mois.Yes, I have been learning German for two months.
- ChloéC'est une langue très intéressante.It is a very interesting language.
- NathanC'est vrai, mais la grammaire est complexe.That's true, but the grammar is complex.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
