This month we are visiting the zoo en français. In order to make the most of this event, we have prepared a list of French zoo vocabulary. This can be a great resource for a family game; make some flash cards and have fun!

Let’s start off simple: zoo is the same word in French but with a different pronunciation ZOO

Noms

Des singes

Monkeys

Guépard

Cheetah

Un refuge

Shelter

Un enclos

Enclosure, paddock

Des serpents

Snakes

Des mammifères

Mammals

Sauvage

Wild

Une marre

Pond

Le gardien

Zookeeper

Le guichet

Ticket office

La volière

Aviary

Espèces

Species

Un loup

Wolf

La queue

Tail

La trompe de l’éléphant

Elephant’s trunk

Les ailes

Wings

Ours blanc

Polar bear

Barrières

Fences

Verbes

Rugir

To roar

Barrir

To trumpet

Grogner

To growl

Ramper

To crawl

Voler

To fly

Sauter

To jump

Nager

To swim

Courir

To run

Adjectives

Rayé

Striped

Gros

Big

Grand

Tall

Petit

Small

Tacheté

Spotted

Doux

Soft, smooth

Poilu

Furry

À plumes

Feathered

Rugueux

Rough

Lisse

Slick

Words that are similar in French and English:

Des animaux/Animals
Un animal/Animal
Un reptile/Reptile
Un(e) vétérinaire/Vet
Un(e) guide / Guide
La jungle/Jungle
Le vivarium/Vivarium
Une cage/Cage
La savane/Savanna

*Note that a lot of wild animals are recognizably similar in English and In French: Eléphant, Lion, Tigre, Gorille, Girafe, Zèbre, Panda, Kangourou, Panthère, Hippopotame, Rhinocéros...

Do you like visiting zoos? What’s your favorite animal? Mine are chevaux (horses).




clemence

Clémence Bary-Boloré

Cultural Programs Manager / Office Manager

Clémence has a Master’s degree in Cultural Projects Management. She worked in Paris for several years for theater companies. She likes discovering new cultures, people and places, which is why she crossed the ocean to start a new experience in Boston. She is glad to be part of the French Library to promote French culture and language. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, kayaking and all forms of art!

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