How To Talk About Animals In French

From pets to farm animals to sea creatures, here’s a guide to naming and discussing all types of animals in French.
a goat to represent animals in French

Animal vocabulary is a fun topic to dive into when you’re starting out learning a language. Plus, you’ll be able to use animal-related words in many different conversations, because (almost) everyone loves animals! Thus, you’ll definitely want to study the vocab related to animals in French if that’s the language you’re learning. 

On your next trip to France, you’ll be able to ask for help if there’s a rat in your Paris Airbnb or talk admiringly about wildlife in the French countryside. Even right here at home, learning how to talk about animals in French will make your language learning a little cuter and more fun.

Check out this quick guide to animals in French, and click the play button to hear how each word is pronounced. And don’t forget to scroll down to hear what French animals sounds are like.

General Animal Vocab

the pet — l’animal domestique

the wild animal — l’animal sauvage

the farm animal — l’animal de la ferme

the sea creature — l’animal marin

the fur — le pelage

the veterinarian — le vétérinaire (m) / la vétérinaire (f)

to feed — nourrir

Names Of Animals In French

the dog — le chien

the cat — le chat

the fish — le poisson

the mouse — la souris

the hamster — le hamster

the rabbit — le lapin

the rat — le rat

the guinea pig — le cochon d’Inde

the chicken — la poule

the duck — le canard

the cow — la vache

the pig — le porc

the horse — le cheval

the bird — l’oiseau

the penguin — le pingouin

the dolphin — le dauphin

the octopus — le poulpe

the blue whale — la baleine bleue

the shark — le requin

the bear — l’ours

the wolf — le loup

the snake — le serpent

the frog — la grenouille

the squirrel — l’écureuil

the giraffe — la girafe

the deer — le chevreuil

the bug — la bestiole

the mosquito — le moustique

the spider — l’araignée

the bee — l’abeille

the butterfly — le papillon

Animal Sounds In French

woof — ouaf

meow — miaou

cock-a-doodle-doo — cocorico

quack-quack — coin-coin

moo — meuh

ribbit — coâ-coâ

Funny French Animal Idioms

  • S’ennuyer comme un rat mort — literally “as bored as a dead rat,” it’s…really bored
  • Vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué — literally “to sell the bear’s skin before it’s been killed,” comparable to the English “counting your chickens before they’re hatched”
  • Se faire poser un lapin — literally “to be given a rabbit” is when you’ve been stood up for a date
  • Quand les poules auront des dents — literally “when chickens have teeth,” a less fanciful “when pigs fly”
  • Quand le chat est parti, les souris dansent — literally “when the cat’s away, the mice dance,” a non-rhyming version of “when the cat’s away the mice will play”
  • C’est donner de la confiture aux cochons  — literally “it’s like giving jam to pigs,” a slightly less rich version of “pearls before swine”
  • À bon chat, bon rat — literally “to good cat, good rat,” meaning tit for tat
  • Faire un froid de canard — literally “ducky cold,” used when it’s really cold
  • Être franc comme un âne qui recule — literally “as frank as a backtracking donkey,” meaning to dissemble or lie
  • Passer du coq à l’âne — literally “jump from the rooster to the donkey,” meaning to jump from one topic to another
  • Brider l’âne par la queue — literally “to bridle a donkey by the tail,” meaning to do something lacking common sense
  • S’ennuyer comme un rat mort — literally “to be as bored as a dead rat,” which is a bit self-explanatory
  • Laisser pisser le mérinos — literally “to let the merinos piss,” meaning to not react to a provocation
  • La vache ! — literally “the cow!” used like “my god!” or perhaps more aptly, “holy cow!”
  • Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue) — literally “speak of the wolf (and you see its tail),” meaning speak of the devil (and he appears)

French Animals Quiz

Think you’ve got the names down? Test yourself to see if you’re already a master of the French barnyard.

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