je suis britannique
The English phrase 'I am british' is translated into French as je suis britannique.
This phrase is used to state that a person is a citizen of the United Kingdom. If you wish to express yourself in a more refined manner, you might say Je suis originaire du Royaume-Uni, which means 'I am originally from the United Kingdom'.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the various ways of describing nationality. The word britannique refers broadly to the United Kingdom, whereas anglais or anglaise refers specifically to being from England.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Je suis britannique is used across many French-speaking areas, including France, Belgium and Switzerland. In France and Belgium, people often use Je suis anglais/anglaise specifically to indicate they are from England.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective britannique is gender-neutral, so it stays the same whether the speaker is male or female. Also, note that unlike in English, you do not use a capital letter for nationalities when using them as adjectives or nouns in a French sentence.
Did you know?
- The word suis is a linguistic oddity that actually traces its form back to the Latin word for 'I was' rather than the Latin word for 'I am'.
- In France, someone might call a person from Scotland or Wales anglais by mistake, as the term is often used colloquially to mean anyone from the British Isles.
- While britannique is gender-neutral, the more common term for English speakers, anglais, must change to anglaise if the speaker is female.
Examples in context
- Je suis britannique.I am British.This sentence is useful for stating that you are British using je suis britannique.Tatoeba #5545307 by sacredceltic, translation #3521508 by robbieheslop
- Je suis britannique, donc je parle anglais.I am British, so I speak English.
- D'accord, je suis britannique et j'habite à Londres.Okay, I am British and I live in London.
Example conversation
Two people are introducing themselves at a social party.
- ManonSalut, je m'appelle Manon. Et toi ?Hi, my name is Manon. And you?
- LucasMoi, c'est Lucas. Je suis britannique.I'm Lucas. I am British.
- ManonC'est super ! Bienvenue en France !That's great! Welcome to France!
- LucasMerci beaucoup, Manon.Thank you very much, Manon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries britannique, je, suis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
