langue maternelle
/lɑ̃ɡ ma.tɛʁ.nɛl/
The French phrase for "native language" is langue maternelle.
langue maternelle refers to the first language a person learns to speak from early childhood.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of langue (language) and maternelle (maternal/motherly).
Which one should you use?
You may also see langue première used to mean "first language".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective maternelle follows the noun langue and must agree in gender (feminine) and number (singular). The plural form is langues maternelles, where both the noun and the adjective take an s.
How do you pronounce it?
/lɑ̃ɡ ma.tɛʁ.nɛl/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the word "native" as an adjective in French, but langue maternelle is the correct idiomatic expression.
Did you know?
- In French, saying someone has a langue bien pendue means they are glib or talkative, playing on the physical meaning of langue.
- In France, école maternelle refers to preschool or nursery school, not a 'mother language' school.
- In some French dialects like Occitan, the word for 'language' appears as lenga, showing how the Latin 'lingua' evolved differently across regions.
Examples in context
- C’est pas ma langue maternelle.It's not my native language.This sentence is useful for expressing that a language is not one's native language.Tatoeba #2445365 by gillux, translation #2439941 by Hybrid
- Le russe est ma langue maternelle.Russian is my native language.This sentence is useful for identifying Russian as a native language.Tatoeba #9181733 by Julien_PDC, translation #9183000 by DJ_Saidez
- L'anglais est ma langue maternelle.English is my native language.This sentence is useful for identifying English as a native language.Tatoeba #856464 by U2FS, translation #510530 by CN
- Le français est ma langue maternelle.French is my native language.
- L'anglais est sa langue natale.English is his/her native language.
- Je parle couramment ma langue maternelle.I speak my native language fluently.
- L'espagnol est sa langue maternelle.Spanish is his/her native language.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their linguistic backgrounds at a cafe.
- GabrielEst-ce que le français est ta langue maternelle ?Is French your native language?
- LéaNon, ma langue maternelle est l'espagnol.No, my native language is Spanish.
- GabrielTu parles très bien le français, Léa.You speak French very well, Léa.
- LéaMerci, je l'étudie depuis longtemps.Thank you, I have been studying it for a long time.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry langue maternelle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries langue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
