Capital letters in French may seem simple at first, but their use follows several specific rules. They are not used in exactly the same way as in English.
In French, a capital letter—called a capitale in printing—mainly has two functions:
- It marks the beginning of a sentence.
- It distinguishes a proper noun, or a word that is being used like a proper noun.
A capital letter can also sometimes be used for emphasis or expressive effect:
Elle est d’un Chic !
C’est un Artiste, un Génie, c’est pourquoi il nous ignore.
1. Capital Letters at the Beginning of a Sentence
The first letter of the first word of what is considered a sentence is written with a capital letter.
For example:
Il m’a croisé dans l’allée centrale du parc. Il y avait si longtemps qu’on ne s’était vus !
The same principle applies to direct speech:
« Serait-ce toi ? s’écria-t-il. Toi, l’ami de toujours ! toi que je pensais ne jamais revoir… »
Capital letters in dialogue
After a colon introducing direct speech, a capital letter is normally used.
For example:
Il me dit : « Te souviens-tu de l’époque où nous rêvions d’aventure et de voyages ? »
A capital letter is also used after the dash that introduces a speaker's words in dialogue:
– Et les filles alors ! Quelles bagarres entre copains!
– Tu me sembles encore prêt à batailler, me répondit-il en souriant.
Capital letters in poetry
Traditionally, French poetry may use a capital letter at the beginning of each verse or line.
2. Capital Letters with Proper Names
Names referring to specific people, characters, animals, heroes, gods, or other individual beings begin with a capital letter.
This includes first names, surnames, and nicknames.
For example:
Pierre, Paul… Molière, Mozart… Dieu, Hercule… le Petit Poucet, Cosette…
Articles inside names
When an article comes before an adjective that forms part of a person's name or nickname, the article itself does not normally take a capital letter.
For example:
Louis le Pieux, Alexandre le Grand, Charles le Téméraire…
Prepositions inside names
A preposition that forms part of a name, nickname or title also normally remains lowercase.
For example:
Jean sans Peur, Alfred de Vigny…
3. Personified Common Nouns
Common nouns referring to beings or abstract ideas can sometimes be treated as proper nouns when they are personified.
They therefore take a capital letter.
For example:
Maître Corbeau, l’Aurore, la Providence, la Sagesse (l’allégorie de)…
Here, concepts such as la Providence or la Sagesse are treated almost like individual characters.
4. Honorific Titles and Special Designations
Honorific titles and certain descriptive expressions used as names may be treated as proper nouns.
For example:
Sa Majesté, Votre Altesse, Son Éminence, Monsieur le Préfet…
The same principle applies to certain traditional, religious or historical designations:
le Roi-Soleil, la Sainte Vierge, le Tout-Puissant, le Saint-Esprit…
5. Names Referring to Types of People, Families or Nationalities
A proper name may sometimes be used to describe a particular type of person.
For example:
C’est un vrai Don Juan. Notre époque aurait besoin d’un Balzac.
Here, Don Juan does not simply refer to one particular person. It represents a certain type of personality.
Capital letters are also used with the names of dynasties and families:
la dynastie des Capétiens, la famille des Bourbons…
They are also used for words indicating national, regional or local identity when the word refers to a person or group of people:
les Français, un Parisien, un Normand, les Européens…
6. Capital Letters in Place Names
Simple or compound names identifying a particular country, city, region, territory or geographical area take a capital letter.
For example:
Rome, la Normandie, le Loir-et-Cher, la Grande-Bretagne, l’Est européen…
However, geographical names can become more complicated when they contain adjectives.
When the adjective identifies the place
When the adjective is an essential part of the geographical identity, the adjective takes a capital letter.
For example:
les montagnes Rocheuses, l’océan Pacifique, la mer Noire, le fleuve Jaune…
We also find:
la place Royale, la rue Neuve…
When the adjective is simply descriptive
If the adjective only has its normal descriptive meaning, it remains lowercase while the proper place name keeps its capital letter.
For example:
la France méridionale, la haute Normandie, le Massif central…
7. Planets and Constellations
Names of planets and constellations function in much the same way as geographical proper names.
For example:
l’étoile du Berger, Mercure, la planète Terre…
Notice that the common noun describing the object may remain lowercase, while the proper name itself is capitalized.
8. Buildings and Famous Places
In expressions referring to a particular building or institution, the common noun generally remains lowercase, while the proper-name element takes the capital letter.
For example:
le Panthéon, la Bourse, l’Assemblée nationale
Other examples include:
le théâtre de la Comédie-Française, l’opéra Bastille, le palais de la Découverte, l’hôpital de la Salpêtrière, le cirque d’Hiver…
9. Capital Letters in Institutions and Organizations
Names of official bodies, organizations, associations, institutions and political groups normally use a capital letter at the beginning of the element that identifies the institution.
For example:
l’État, le Parlement, le Sénat, le doyen de la Faculté…
Other examples include:
l’Académie française, l’Institut de France, la Sécurité sociale, le Parti démocrate…
Notice that French generally uses fewer capital letters than English in the names of institutions.
10. Historical Periods, Dates and Events
Names referring to clearly identified historical periods, important dates or major historical events take capital letters.
Historical periods
le Tertiaire, l’Antiquité, le Moyen Âge, la Renaissance…
Important dates and celebrations
le 14 Juillet, le 11 Novembre, les Trente Glorieuses, Noël, Pâques…
Historical events
la Révolution, la Prise de la Bastille, la Libération, la Seconde Guerre mondiale…
Again, notice that French does not necessarily capitalize every important word.
For example:
la Seconde Guerre mondiale
The word mondiale remains lowercase.
11. Capital Letters in Titles of Books, Films and Other Works
French titles follow capitalization conventions that are quite different from English titles.
In English, we often capitalize several important words in a title. In French, capitalization is usually much more limited.
When the title begins with a definite article
If a title begins with a definite article, the article and the first important noun may take capital letters. An adjective appearing before that noun may also be capitalized.
For example:
Je ne me lasse pas du Concerto pour piano n° 5 de Beethoven.
Le Monde est un grand quotidien.
Avez-vous lu La Divine Comédie de Dante ?
Qui n’a étudié Les Précieuses ridicules ?
12. Titles Beginning with Un, Une, Au, Aux, Du, or Des
When words such as un, une, au, aux, du, or des begin a title and form part of it, the first word is written with a capital letter.
For example:
Un amour de Swann, Des souris et des hommes, Au bonheur des dames…
13. When the Title Is a Complete Sentence
When the title itself forms a sentence, normally only the first word is capitalized, apart from proper nouns that would naturally require a capital letter.
For example:
À l’ouest rien de nouveau
Le train sifflera trois fois
Autant en emporte le vent…
This is one of the most noticeable differences between French and English title capitalization.
A Simple Rule to Remember
French generally uses fewer capital letters than English.
Compare the two languages:
English:
The Second World War
French:
la Seconde Guerre mondiale
So when writing in French, avoid capitalizing every important-looking word simply because you would capitalize it in English.
The main situations to remember are:
- the beginning of a sentence;
- proper names;
- names of people and places;
- nationalities when they refer to people;
- certain institutions;
- historical periods and events;
- titles of works according to French capitalization conventions.
Mastering these rules will make your written French look much more natural and accurate.
