faune
/fon/feminine
The English phrase wildlife is translated into French as faune.
faune is used to refer to animals in their natural environment. In many contexts, French speakers use the phrase faune sauvage to explicitly emphasize that the wildlife is wild/untamed.
Meaning: animals in their natural environment (noun)
Which one should you use?
While faune refers to the animals (wildlife), the term flore is used to refer to the plants (flora).
How does it change in a sentence?
faune is a feminine noun and is almost always used with a definite article in the singular.
How do you pronounce it?
/fon/
Did you know?
- The term faune can sometimes be used metaphorically in French to describe the 'animal life' or inhabitants of a specific social or professional environment.
- The word faune comes from the Latin name of Faunus, a Roman deity of the forest and plains who was half-man and half-goat.
- In French art and literature, a faune is not a collection of animals but a specific mythological creature, much like a 'satyr'.
Examples in context
- Les chats harets représentent une menace majeure pour la faune sauvage.Feral cats pose a major threat to wildlife.Tatoeba #9679688 by lbdx, translation #7877364 by soliloquist
- L'endroit est réputé pour ses paysages et sa faune.The area is notable for its scenery and wildlife.Tatoeba #136491 by hortusdei, translation #45140 by sundown
- La faune d'Afrique est exceptionnellement riche et diversifiée.The wildlife of Africa is exceptionally rich and diverse.
- La faune locale est très diversifiée ici.The local wildlife is very diverse here.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are hiking in a national park.
- EmmaRegarde, la faune de ce parc est incroyable !Look, the wildlife in this park is incredible!
- LucasOui, Emma, c'est magnifique.Yes, Emma, it is beautiful.
- EmmaAs-tu vu des animaux récemment ?Have you seen any animals recently?
- LucasNon, je n'ai rien vu pour l'instant.No, I haven't seen anything yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wildlife” translations and entries faune, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries faune, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
