Mexicain
/mɛk.si.kɛ̃/masculine
The English word 'mexican' can be translated into French as Mexicain, referring to a person from Mexico or of Mexican descent.
As a noun, Mexicain refers to a person from Mexico or of Mexican descent. It can also be used as an adjective to describe things pertaining to Mexico.
Meaning: person from Mexico or of Mexican descent (noun)
Which one should you use?
In French, there is a distinction between the noun and the adjective regarding capitalization. When used as an adjective (e.g., 'mexicain food'), the word is not capitalized in French, unlike the English 'Mexican'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the noun or adjective is Mexicaine. The masculine plural form is Mexicains.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /mɛk.si.kɛ̃/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly capitalize the adjective 'mexicain' in French, but in French, only the noun referring to a person is capitalized.
Did you know?
- While the English 'Mexican' ends in a hard 'n' sound, the French Mexicain ends with a nasal vowel that leaves the final 'n' virtually silent.
- The feminine form Mexicaine transforms the word by making the final 'n' sound clearly audible, which does not happen in the masculine version.
- Because Mexicain ends in a nasal vowel, it rhymes with other nationality terms like Africain and Américain, creating a phonetic cluster that helps learners remember these labels.
Examples in context
- Tu as déjà mangé mexicain ?Have you ever eaten Mexican food?This sentence uses Mexicain as an adjective to ask about food.Tatoeba #3556010 by gillux, translation #3554360 by CK
- J'ai trouvé un bon restaurant mexicain.I found a good Mexican restaurant.This sentence uses mexicain as an adjective to describe a restaurant.Tatoeba #605213 by qdii, translation #65192 by CK
- Je suis Mexicain. Je parle couramment espagnol.I am a Mexican. I speak Spanish fluently.This sentence uses Mexicain as a noun to state one's nationality.Tatoeba #5491576 by serpico, translation #5491678 by Akenaseryan
- Il a la nationalité mexicaineHe has Mexican nationality
- Elle a la nationalité mexicaineShe has Mexican nationality
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are talking about a new coworker.
- ManonEst-ce que le nouveau collègue est Mexicain ?Is the new colleague Mexican?
- NathanOui, il est Mexicain, il vient de Mexico.Yes, he is Mexican, he comes from Mexico City.
- ManonIl parle français depuis longtemps ?Has he been speaking French for a long time?
- NathanNon, il a commencé à apprendre récemment.No, he started learning recently.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mexican” translations and entries Mexicain, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry mexicain.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
