Exploring FrenchExploring French

and French-Speaking countries

1. What branch of the Indo-European language family does French belong to?

Latin/Italic

2. What does “Vive la France!” mean?

Long live France!

3. What is the capital city of France?

Paris, of course!

4. What are some of the things people go to Paris to see?

Buildings & Monuments - Museums -

Parks -Boulevards -

5. What is the name of the river that flows through Paris?

The Seine

6. Name some famous French scientists.

André Marie AmpèreThe electrical term “amp” is named for him.

Pierre & Marie CurieFamous for their work with radioactivity

Louis PasteurDiscovered that bacteria in milk caused sickness. (“Pasteurize” comes from his name.)

7. Who are some famous French artists?

Claude Monet

Also Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne

Auguste Rodin

“The Thinker”

by Rodin“Water Lilies”

by Monet

8. Name some famous French composers.

Georges Bizet Claude Debussy Maurice Ravel

9. Who are some famous French writers?

VoltaireJean-Jacques Rousseau

Victor Hugo – author of

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

10. Name some countries in Africa where French is an official language.

Morocco

Algeria

Tunisia

Ivory Coast

Mauritania

Togo

Gabon

Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire)

And several others – 23 altogether!

Some interesting information:

Casablanca (the name of a famous movie) is a major city in Morocco.

Parts of “Star Wars” were filmed in Tunisia.

12. What countries in Europe are French-speaking besides France?

France

Belgium

Switzerland

Luxembourg

Monaco

Did you know that the actor, Jean-Claude Van Damme is from Belgium?

Did you know that Switzerland has 3 official languages? (French, German, and Italian)

13. What are some French-speaking countries in southeast Asia?

Laos

Vietnam

Cambodia

14. What is the province in Canada where French is spoken?

Quebec

Also parts of Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia

15. Name some islands in the West Indies and the Pacific where French is spoken.

Haiti

West Indies (Caribbean Sea)

Guadalupe

Martinique

Pacific Ocean

New Caledonia

French Polynesia (Tahiti)

16. What are some areas in the United States where many people speak French?

New England

New York

Louisiana

Did you know that the city of New Orleans, Louisiana has the second-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the world?

17. What are the bodies of water that surround France?

The English Channel

The Bay of Biscay

(Atlantic Ocean)

The Mediterreanean Sea

18. Which body of water is west of France?

The Atlantic Ocean (the Bay of Biscay)

19. Who was the state of Louisiana named for?

Louis XIV, who became king of France in 1643 when he was only 5 years old.

20. Where does the word Cajun come from?

AcadiaPeople from Acadia immigrated to Louisiana, where they were called Acadian, which gradually became Cajun.

21. What are some English words that originally came from French?

• fiancé (the person you are engaged to marry)

• detour (an alternate route)

• ballet (a classical style of dance)

• gourmet (a person who knows a lot about fine food)

• avalanche (a huge snowslide)

These are just a few – there are, of course, many others.

22. What does “J’habite à St. Louis.” mean?

• I live in St. Louis.

23. Why does St. Louis have so many French names for streets, etc?

Because it was originally a French settlement, founded by Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau in 1764.

24. What is a “croque-monsieur”?

• It is a French sandwich – ham and cheese on bread dipped in egg batter and grilled.