vietnamien
/vjɛt.na.mjɛ̃/masculine
The French word for the Vietnamese language is vietnamien.
vietnamien refers to the language spoken in Vietnam. It can also be used as an adjective to describe anything pertaining to Vietnam.
Meaning: language (name)
Which one should you use?
When using the word as an adjective, such as in the phrase 'Vietnamese food', it is not capitalized in French. However, when referring to a Vietnamese person as a noun, the word is capitalized.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the adjective or the noun for a person is vietnamienne. When used as a noun to refer to a Vietnamese woman, the word is capitalized and takes the feminine form: Vietnamienne.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /vjɛt.na.mjɛ̃/.
Did you know?
- Because of the colonial history between France and Vietnam, French is still used in some academic and legal contexts in Vietnam today.
- Due to historical influence, some Vietnamese words for modern objects were borrowed from French and then re-integrated into the local lexicon.
- The suffix -ien in vietnamien is a common French pattern used to turn a country name into a nationality or language, similar to how English uses -ian.
Examples in context
- J’ai la nationalité française mais je suis d’origine vietnamienne.I have French nationality but Vietnamese origins.This sentence is useful for discussing origins using vietnamienne.Tatoeba #3953 by zmoo, translation #2142 by pyrachi
- Mon chat, qui a le statut de réfugié, parle avec un accent vietnamien.My cat, who has a refugee status, speaks with a Vietnamese accent.This sentence is useful for describing an accent using vietnamien.Tatoeba #10489249 by felix63, translation #10485583 by maaster
- L'outil de reconnaissance des langues prend souvent le lojban pour du vietnamien.The Automated Language Recognition feature often mistakes Lojban for Vietnamese.This sentence is useful for identifying the language using vietnamien.Tatoeba #863701 by sacredceltic, translation #1437942 by caspian
- Le vietnamien est une langue intéressante.Vietnamese is an interesting language.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are talking about languages they want to learn.
- ChloéTu veux apprendre le vietnamien ?Do you want to learn Vietnamese?
- GabrielOui, j'adore le vietnamien.Yes, I love Vietnamese.
- ChloéC'est une langue très difficile.It is a very difficult language.
- GabrielPeut-être, mais je suis motivé.Maybe, but I am motivated.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vietnamese” translations and entries vietnamien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vietnamien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
