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.