This is a list of 40 common words for talking about animals in French, each with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. Play any word to hear it, check yourself in the quiz and download the list for Anki or Quizlet.
Animals in French: le chien, le chat, le lapin, le hamster, le perroquet, le cheval, la vache. The table below gives all 40 words with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence. A quiz of 10 questions checks what you remember, and the list can be downloaded for a spreadsheet, Quizlet or Anki.
| Word | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| le chien /ʃjɛ̃/ | dog | Le chien dort près de la porte. The dog sleeps near the door. |
| le chat /ʃa/ | cat | Le chat regarde les oiseaux dans le jardin. The cat watches the birds in the garden. |
| le lapin /lapɛ̃/ | rabbit | Le lapin mange une carotte dans sa cage. The rabbit eats a carrot in its cage. |
| le hamster /amstɛʁ/ | hamster | Mon hamster court dans sa petite roue. My hamster runs in its little wheel. |
| le perroquet /pɛʁokɛ/ | parrot | Le perroquet parle avec ma sœur. The parrot talks with my sister. |
| le cheval /ʃəval/ Plural: les chevaux. | horse | Le cheval court dans le champ. The horse runs in the field. |
| la vache /vaʃ/ | cow | La vache mange de l'herbe fraîche. The cow eats fresh grass. |
| le cochon /koʃɔ̃/ | pig | Le cochon dort dans la paille. The pig sleeps in the straw. |
| le mouton /mutɔ̃/ | sheep | Le mouton reste près de la ferme. The sheep stays near the farm. |
| la chèvre /ʃɛvʁ/ | goat | La chèvre grimpe sur la colline. The goat climbs up the hill. |
| le canard /kanaʁ/ | duck | Le canard nage sur le lac. The duck swims on the lake. |
| la poule /pul/ | hen | La poule cherche des graines dans la cour. The hen looks for seeds in the yard. |
| le lion /ljɔ̃/ | lion | Le lion dort sous un grand arbre. The lion sleeps under a large tree. |
| le tigre /tiɡʁ/ | tiger | Le tigre marche lentement dans son enclos. The tiger walks slowly in its enclosure. |
| l'éléphant /elefɑ̃/ L'éléphant is masculine. | elephant | L'éléphant boit beaucoup d'eau chaque matin. The elephant drinks a lot of water every morning. |
| la girafe /ʒiʁaf/ | giraffe | La girafe mange les feuilles des arbres. The giraffe eats the leaves of the trees. |
| le singe /sɛ̃ʒ/ | monkey | Le singe mange une banane au zoo. The monkey eats a banana at the zoo. |
| l'ours /uʁs/ L'ours is masculine. | bear | L'ours cherche du miel dans la forêt. The bear looks for honey in the forest. |
| le loup /lu/ | wolf | Le loup marche seul dans la neige. The wolf walks alone in the snow. |
| le renard /ʁənaʁ/ | fox | Le renard traverse la route pendant la nuit. The fox crosses the road during the night. |
| le cerf /sɛʁ/ | deer | Le cerf avance doucement dans la forêt. The deer moves gently through the forest. |
| le zèbre /zɛbʁ/ | zebra | Le zèbre court avec son groupe. The zebra runs with its group. |
| le kangourou /kɑ̃ɡuʁu/ | kangaroo | Le kangourou saute dans le parc animalier. The kangaroo jumps in the wildlife park. |
| le serpent /sɛʁpɑ̃/ | snake | Le serpent se cache sous une pierre. The snake hides under a stone. |
| la grenouille /ɡʁənuj/ | frog | La grenouille saute près de l'étang. The frog jumps near the pond. |
| la souris /suʁi/ | mouse | La souris mange du fromage dans la cuisine. The mouse eats cheese in the kitchen. |
| l'aigle /ɛɡl/ L'aigle is masculine. | eagle | L'aigle vole très haut au-dessus des montagnes. The eagle flies very high above the mountains. |
| le hibou /ibu/ | owl | Le hibou chasse pendant la nuit. The owl hunts during the night. |
| le pigeon /piʒɔ̃/ | pigeon | Le pigeon marche sur la place. The pigeon walks in the square. |
| l'abeille /abɛj/ | bee | L'abeille cherche des fleurs dans le jardin. The bee looks for flowers in the garden. |
| le papillon /papijɔ̃/ | butterfly | Le papillon se pose sur une fleur. The butterfly lands on a flower. |
| la fourmi /fuʁmi/ | ant | La fourmi porte une feuille très lourde. The ant carries a very heavy leaf. |
| l'araignée /aʁɛnje/ | spider | L'araignée construit sa toile dans le coin. The spider builds its web in the corner. |
| le moustique /mustik/ | mosquito | Un moustique vole près de mon lit. A mosquito flies near my bed. |
| le dauphin /dofɛ̃/ | dolphin | Le dauphin nage près du bateau. The dolphin swims near the boat. |
| la baleine /balɛn/ | whale | La baleine sort de l'eau calmement. The whale comes out of the water calmly. |
| le requin /ʁəkɛ̃/ | shark | Le requin nage loin de la plage. The shark swims far from the beach. |
| la pieuvre /pjøvʁ/ | octopus | La pieuvre se cache entre les rochers. The octopus hides among the rocks. |
| la tortue /tɔʁty/ | turtle | La tortue avance lentement dans le jardin. The turtle moves slowly through the garden. |
| l'écureuil /ekyʁœj/ | squirrel | L'écureuil cache une noix sous les feuilles. The squirrel hides a nut under the leaves. |
The list on this page has 40 words. The first ones are le chien (dog), le chat (cat), le lapin (rabbit). Each comes with IPA, audio, a translation and an example sentence.
Take the quiz on this page, then download the list for Anki or Quizlet and review a few words every day. In Lingo7 you can read books in French with a translation under every sentence and meet the same words in context.
Press the play button next to a word or an example sentence to hear it. The IPA under each word shows the sounds too: l'éléphant is pronounced /elefɑ̃/.