How to Talk About Yourself in French (with Audio)
How many times a day do you talk about yourself? I bet it’s a lot, even if you don’t realize it. So it makes sense that as a French learner, being able to talk about yourself en français is a very important skill.
It’s also important to make sure you’re flexible with this skill, that you can talk about yourself in different ways and in different scenarios.
Contents
- 1. Talking About Your Appearance in French
- 2. Talking About Hobbies and Passions in French
- 3. Talking About Your Beliefs in French
- 4. Talking About Your Career in French
- 5. Talking About Your Family in French
- 6. Talking About Fashion Sense and Size
- 7. Answering Questions People Ask You in French
- And one more thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
1. Talking About Your Appearance in French
There are so many ways to talk about the way you look, the possibilities are almost endless. Here are some common ways to describe yourself:
Je suis grand(e) / petit(e) . — I am tall / short.
J’ai les cheveux longs / courts. — I have long / short hair.
Mes cheveux sont blonds / bruns / noirs / roux. — My hair is blonde / brown / black / red.
J’ai les yeux bleus / verts / marron / noirs. — I have blue / green / brown / black eyes.
Je porte des lunettes. — I wear glasses.
J’ai une barbe / une moustache. — I have a beard / a mustache.
Je suis mince / maigre / enrobé. — I am slim / thin / chubby.
J’ai un visage rond / ovale / carré. — I have a round / oval / square face.
Je suis bronzé / pâle. — I am tanned / pale.
J’ai des taches de rousseur. — I have freckles.
Je mesure (1,75 mètre). — I am (1.75 meters) tall.
Je pèse (70 kilos). — I weigh (70 kilograms).
J’ai un style décontracté / élégant / sportif. — I have a casual / elegant / sporty style.
Je préfère porter des vêtements confortables / à la mode. — I prefer to wear comfortable / fashionable clothes.
Je me maquille rarement / souvent. — I rarely / often wear makeup.
J’ai une peau claire / foncée. — I have fair / dark skin.
J’ai une tache de naissance. — I have a birthmark.
J’ai des taches de rousseur. — I have freckles.
J’ai un tatouage. — I have a tattoo.
J’ai un grain de beauté. — I have a mole.
J’ai les cheveux châtains / blonds / bruns / roux — I have chestnut brown / blond / brown / red hair.
J’ai les cheveux longs / mi-longs / courts. — I have long / mid-length / short hair.
Je suis en surpoids. — I am overweight.
Je suis maigre. — I am skinny.
Je suis grand(e). — I am tall.
Je suis de taille moyenne. — I am medium height.
Je suis petit(e). — I am short.
J’ai un grand nez. — I have a big nose.
J’ai les épaules étroites. — I have narrow shoulders.
J’ai la taille fine. — I have a narrow waist.
2. Talking About Hobbies and Passions in French
There’s also lots to say about your interests and hobbies.
Je suis passionné par la musique. — I am passionate about music.
J’aime lire des livres. — I like reading books.
Je fais de la peinture. — I do painting.
J’aime cuisiner. — I like cooking.
Je joue au football. — I play soccer.
Je pratique le yoga. — I practice yoga.
Je joue de la guitare. — I play the guitar.
Je fais du jardinage. — I do gardening.
J’aime voyager. — I like traveling.
Je regarde beaucoup de films. — I watch a lot of movies.
J’aime faire de la randonnée. — I like hiking.
Je fais de la photographie. — I do photography.
J’écris des histoires. — I write stories.
J’aime faire du vélo. — I like cycling.
Je dessine à mes heures perdues. — I draw in my free time.
3. Talking About Your Beliefs in French
It’s important to remember that France is a different political and religious terrain. However, this is no reason not to share your ideology and beliefs.
Je crois en l’égalité des sexes. — I believe in gender equality.
Je suis pour la protection de l’environnement. — I am for environmental protection.
À mon avis, l’éducation est très importante. — In my opinion, education is very important.
Je pense que la santé mentale est aussi importante que la santé physique. — I think mental health is as important as physical health.
Selon moi, le respect mutuel est essentiel dans les relations. — According to me, mutual respect is essential in relationships.
Je suis contre les discriminations. — I am against discrimination.
Je crois en la liberté d’expression. — I believe in freedom of speech.
Je suis d’avis que la diversité culturelle enrichit notre société. — I believe that cultural diversity enriches our society.
Je pense que la technologie a un impact majeur sur notre vie quotidienne. — I think technology has a major impact on our daily lives.
Je crois en l’importance de la famille. — I believe in the importance of family.
Je suis pour les droits des animaux. — I am for animal rights.
Je pense que l’art est une forme d’expression essentielle. — I think art is an essential form of expression.
Je suis d’avis que chacun a droit à l’éducation. — I believe that everyone has the right to education.
Je crois en la justice sociale. — I believe in social justice.
Selon moi, il est important de soutenir les communautés locales. — In my opinion, it is important to support local communities.
Je pense que l’honnêteté est une valeur fondamentale. — I think honesty is a fundamental value.
You can also talk about your religious beliefs.
Je suis catholique. — I am Catholic.
Je suis protestant(e). — I am Protestant.
Je suis musulman(e). — I am Muslim.
Je suis juif / juive. — I am Jewish.
Je suis hindou. — I am Hindu.
Je suis bouddhiste. — I am Buddhist.
Je suis athée. — I am atheist.
Je suis agnostique. — I am agnostic.
Je pratique la méditation. — I practice meditation.
Je prie régulièrement. — I pray regularly.
J’assiste à des services religieux. — I attend religious services.
Je crois en une puissance supérieure. — I believe in a higher power.
4. Talking About Your Career in French
You may want to let someone know what you do for a living, in which case Je suis… will be your best friend again.
Here are some common careers:
Je suis enseignant(e). — I am a teacher.
Je travaille comme ingénieur. — I work as an engineer.
Je suis médecin. — I am a doctor.
Je suis infirmier / infirmière. — I am a nurse.
Je travaille dans le marketing. — I work in marketing.
Je suis avocat(e). — I am a lawyer.
Je suis comptable. — I am an accountant.
Je travaille en tant que développeur(se) de logiciels. — I work as a software developer.
Je suis architecte. — I am an architect.
Je travaille dans les ressources humaines. — I work in human resources.
Je suis chef de projet. — I am a project manager.
Je suis entrepreneur. — I am an entrepreneur.
Je travaille dans la finance. — I work in finance.
Je suis graphiste. — I am a graphic designer.
Je suis journaliste. — I am a journalist.
Je suis chef cuisinier. — I am a chef.
Interestingly, there is much debate in France about feminine versions of job titles. Some people are still reluctant to adopt these forms, saying that they are overly politically correct. In other French-speaking countries, feminine forms have been more widely adopted, so you’ll be more likely to see forms such as professeure and écrivaine in Quebec, for example, than you will in France.
5. Talking About Your Family in French
Family-related vocab is great to practice and become familiar with on social media.
J’ai une grande famille. — I have a big family.
J’ai un frère. — I have a brother.
J’ai une sœur. — I have a sister.
Je suis enfant unique. — I am an only child.
Mes parents sont mariés / divorcés. — My parents are married / divorced.
J’ai deux enfants. — I have two children.
J’ai des jumeaux. — I have twins.
J’ai un fils. — I have a son.
J’ai une fille. — I have a daughter.
Je vis avec mes grands-parents. — I live with my grandparents.
Ma famille est très proche. — My family is very close.
Nous aimons passer du temps ensemble. — We like to spend time together.
Mon frère est plus âgé que moi. — My brother is older than me.
Ma sœur est plus jeune que moi. — My sister is younger than me.
Mes parents habitent à la campagne. — My parents live in the countryside.
J’ai de nombreux cousins et cousines. — I have many cousins.
There are also many times where you might want to share your relationship status:
Je suis marié(e). — I am married.
Je suis célibataire. — I am single.
6. Talking About Fashion Sense and Size
Paris is a world famous shopping city, so here’s some vocabulary you might find useful for talking about yourself when clothes shopping.
Je mets du… — I wear size…
Je préfère les vêtements moulants. — I prefer tight-fitting/clingy clothes.
Je préfère les t-shirts larges. — I prefer big or loose-fitting T-shirts.
Je préfère la couleur rouge. — I prefer the color red.
Je préfère la marque Chanel. — I prefer the Chanel brand.
Je voudrais… — I would like…
Je suis petite, donc, je préfère les talons hauts. — I am short, so I prefer high heels.
If you’re not planning on shopping in a French-speaking part of the world any time soon, you can still go shopping with a French-learning friend and practice this vocabulary, as well as more general appearance vocabulary.
7. Answering Questions People Ask You in French
In the kind of conversational scenarios we discussed above (making small talk with new acquaintances, for example), you may want to be prepared for questions people ask you about yourself, so that you know how to respond. Here are some common questions and possible responses.
Vous êtes d’où ? — Where are you from?
Je suis de... — I am from…Comment tu t’appelles ? — What’s your name?
Je m’appelle... — My name is…Quel âge as-tu ? — How old are you?
J’ai… ans. — I am… years old.Quel est votre métier ? — What is your job? (Note that this question is phrased in formal French.)
Je suis… — I am a… (Note that you don’t use the indefinite article (un/une) with a profession.)Est-ce que tu as une sœur ? — Do you have a sister?
Oui, j’ai une sœur qui s’appelle Ruth. — Yes, I have a sister called Ruth.Quel est votre loisir préféré ? — What’s your favorite hobby?
J’aime beaucoup... — I really like…
Not meeting any French speakers any time soon?
To practice these kinds of questions and answers, try making flashcards of lots of different questions with a partner, and take turns drawing a card and asking while the other person answers.
Now get with your inner French narcissist and practice talking about yourself!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And one more thing...
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