A–B. Listening and Speaking · Listening and Speaking Across la Francophonie

La francophonie en Afrique et en Asie : Countries, Languages and Where People Come From

A1.2 A3.1 B1.4 B3.1About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can name French-speaking countries in Africa and Asia and say a fact about each.
I can understand teens from different French-speaking communities introducing themselves.
I can use à, en, au, aux to say where someone lives or goes, and de, du, des to say where they come from.
I can make nationality adjectives agree and pronounce the masculine and feminine forms correctly.

Words to know

la francophonie
All the people and places that use French (lah frah(n)-koh-foh-NEE). With a capital (la Francophonie) it often means the international organization of French-speaking countries.

une langue officielle
An official language: one used by a country's government, laws and courts.

plurilingue
Speaking several languages (plü-ree-LANG).

venir de
To come from: Je viens du Cameroun.

une origine
An origin. Ma famille est d'origine libanaise = My family is of Lebanese origin.

la capitale
The capital city. Dakar est la capitale du Sénégal.

un pays / une ville
A country (pay-EE) / a city (VEEL).

Le français, une langue africaine aussi

When you picture French, do you picture Paris? Montréal? Here's a surprise: according to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), more than half of the people who use French every day live in Africa. French is also part of the history and present of several countries in Asia.

In Grade 9 Core French, your culture focus is French-speaking communities in Africa and Asia: who lives there, what life is like for teens, what they celebrate, and how they've shaped la francophonie and the world. Many French-speaking families in Ontario have roots in these countries too, so this is also about your own community.

Remember from Grade 7

In Grade 7 you learned that French is spoken on five continents, that each community has its own accent, words and customs, and that March 20 is la Journée internationale de la Francophonie. This year you'll go much deeper into Africa and Asia.

Pays (country)	Capitale	Some facts about languages
le Sénégal (luh say-nay-GAHL)	Dakar	French is the official language; Wolof is spoken by most people.
la Côte d'Ivoire (koht dee-VWAHR)	Yamoussoukro (largest city: Abidjan)	French is the official language; dozens of local languages are also spoken.
le Cameroun (kahm-ROON)	Yaoundé	Two official languages: French and English, like Canada!
la République démocratique du Congo (RDC)	Kinshasa	French is the official language; Kinshasa is one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.
Madagascar (mah-dah-gahs-KAR)	Antananarivo	Official languages: Malagasy and French.
le Maroc (mah-ROHK)	Rabat	Official languages: Arabic and Tamazight; French is widely used in business and education.
le Liban (lee-BAH(N))	Beyrouth (bay-ROOT)	Official language: Arabic; many people also speak French and English.
le Vietnam (vyet-NAHM)	Hanoï	Vietnamese; the country is a member of the OIF, and French is studied in some schools.
le Cambodge (kah(m)-BOHDZH)	Phnom Penh	Khmer; the country is a member of the OIF.

A sample of French-speaking countries in Africa and Asia. In many of them, French is one language among several. (Lebanon, Vietnam and Cambodia are in Asia.)

A founder from Africa, and partners from Asia

The idea of an international Francophonie grew in the 1960s. Four leaders are often called its founders: Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal (a poet and Senegal's first president), Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, Hamani Diori of Niger, and Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. So la francophonie as an organization was built largely by African and Asian leaders. Senghor's poetry also made him famous: in 1983 he became the first African member of the Académie française, the institution that publishes an official French dictionary.

À, en, au, aux: in or to a place

English uses in or to for every place. French chooses its word by the kind of place:

à + city (and most islands without an article): J'habite à Dakar. · Il va à Madagascar.
en + feminine country (most end in -e): Elle habite en Tunisie. · en Côte d'Ivoire
en also + a masculine country starting with a vowel: en Iran (it's easier to say than au Iran)
au (= à + le) + masculine country: Nous allons au Sénégal. · au Cameroun · au Liban · au Vietnam
aux (= à + les) + plural country: aux États-Unis (oh zay-tah-zü-NEE) · aux Comores

Rule-breakers: a few countries end in -e but are masculine: ***le* Cambodge → au Cambodge**, le Mexique → au Mexique, le Mozambique → au Mozambique. When in doubt, ask: On dit « au » ou « en » ?

Ask what kind of place it is, then pick the little word. Cities get à; feminine countries get en; masculine ones get au; plural ones get aux.

De, du, des: coming from a place

To say where someone comes from, use venir de (je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent):

de / d' + city or feminine country: Je viens de Kinshasa. · Elle vient de Tunisie. · Il vient d'Algérie.
du (= de + le) + masculine country: Ma mère vient du Cameroun. · Mon ami vient du Liban.
des (= de + les) + plural country: Ils viennent des États-Unis.

Talking about roots: Ma famille est d'origine vietnamienne. · Mes grands-parents sont nés au Maroc (were born in Morocco).

Nationalities: hear the difference

Nationality adjectives agree with the person, and you can often hear the feminine because a silent consonant becomes pronounced:

sénégalais (say-nay-gah-LEH) → sénégalaise (say-nay-gah-LEZ)
camerounais (kah-muh-roo-NEH) → camerounaise (kah-muh-roo-NEZ)
libanais (lee-bah-NEH) → libanaise (lee-bah-NEZ)
marocain (mah-roh-KAH(N)) → marocaine (mah-roh-KEN): the nasal sound disappears
ivoirien (ee-vwah-RYAH(N)) → ivoirienne (ee-vwah-RYEN)
vietnamien (vyet-nah-MYAH(N)) → vietnamienne (vyet-nah-MYEN)
congolais → congolaise · tunisien → tunisienne
malgache (mahl-GAHSH), from Madagascar: same for both.

Capital letters: the adjective has no capital (Elle est sénégalaise), but a noun for a person does (C'est une Sénégalaise).

Three teens from the listening example below. Each one speaks at least three languages, and French is one of them.

Worked example

Let's listen: Ados de la francophonie

A youth radio show introduces three teens. Have a grown-up read it aloud, or read it softly. Purpose: for each teen, note the city, the languages and one detail about daily life.

Awa : « Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Awa, j'ai quatorze ans et j'habite à Dakar, au Sénégal. À la maison, on parle wolof, et à l'école, tous mes cours sont en français. J'apprends aussi l'anglais. Le samedi, je vais à la plage avec mes cousines. »

Karim : « Salut ! Moi, c'est Karim. J'habite à Casablanca, au Maroc. Avec mes amis, je parle arabe marocain, la darija, mais on mélange souvent avec des mots français. Au lycée, j'apprends aussi l'anglais. Plus tard, je voudrais étudier l'informatique. »

Minh : « Xin chào, et bonjour ! Je m'appelle Minh. Je viens de Hanoï, au Vietnam. Je parle vietnamien, bien sûr, et j'apprends l'anglais et le français à l'école, comme toi ! Ma fête préférée, c'est le Têt, le Nouvel An vietnamien. »

Avant: the title Ados de la francophonie (teens of the French-speaking world) tells me to expect names, places and languages. I make a 3-column organizer: ville · langues · détail.
Awa: Dakar, Sénégal · wolof (home), français (school), learning English · beach with cousins on Saturdays.
Karim: Casablanca, Maroc · darija (Moroccan Arabic), mixed with French words, learning English at le lycée (high school) · wants to study computer science (l'informatique; cognate clue: information).
Minh: Hanoï, Vietnam · Vietnamese, learning English and French at school · favourite celebration: le Têt, Vietnamese New Year. (Xin chào is a Vietnamese greeting.)
Grammar check: à Dakar (city), au Sénégal, au Maroc, au Vietnam (masculine countries), Je viens de Hanoï (city).

Translation: Awa: "Hello! My name is Awa, I'm fourteen and I live in Dakar, Senegal. At home we speak Wolof, and at school all my classes are in French. I'm also learning English. On Saturdays I go to the beach with my cousins." Karim: "Hi! I'm Karim. I live in Casablanca, Morocco. With my friends I speak Moroccan Arabic, Darija, but we often mix in French words. In high school I'm also learning English. Later I'd like to study computer science." Minh: "Xin chào, and hello! My name is Minh. I come from Hanoi, Vietnam. I speak Vietnamese, of course, and I'm learning English and French at school, like you! My favourite celebration is Tết, Vietnamese New Year."

Worked example

Let's present someone's roots

Your classmate Fatou was born in Ottawa. Her parents were born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Her grandmother lives in Yamoussoukro. Say three sentences about her roots.

Where she was born (city): Fatou est née à Ottawa. (née with -e because Fatou is a girl; naître uses être.)
Her parents (city + feminine country): Ses parents sont nés à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire.
Origin with a nationality adjective: Sa famille est d'origine ivoirienne. (feminine, agreeing with famille: ee-vwah-RYEN)
Bonus: Sa grand-mère habite à Yamoussoukro, la capitale.

Fatou est née à Ottawa. Ses parents sont nés à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire, donc sa famille est d'origine ivoirienne. Sa grand-mère habite à Yamoussoukro, la capitale du pays.

Just for fun

Le Cambodge ends in -e, looks feminine, and is masculine anyway: au Cambodge. Le Mexique and le Mozambique pull the same trick. Think of them as the map's rule-breakers, travelling in disguise.

Hands-on activity

Ma carte d'identité francophone (My francophone ID card)

You need: an index card or half a sheet of paper, a pencil, and an atlas or a grown-up-approved website.

Choose one French-speaking country in Africa or Asia from the table (or another one you research with a grown-up).
On the card, write in French: Pays · Capitale · Langues · Continent · Un fait intéressant · Une personne connue (optional). Check every fact in a reliable source.
Practise a 30-second introduction as yourself presenting the country: Je vous présente le Cameroun. On dit « au Cameroun ». La capitale est Yaoundé. Au Cameroun, on parle français et anglais...
Family roots (optional): Ask a family member where your family comes from. Say it in French: Ma famille est d'origine... · Mes grands-parents sont nés au / en / à... Every family's story counts, including families whose roots are in Canada or in Indigenous nations.
Record yourself and check: did you use à / en / au correctly?

What to look for: correct preposition for the city and the country, nationality agreement, and facts you actually checked.

Your turn

Fill in: Awa habite ___ Dakar, ___ Sénégal.

Fill in: Mes cousins habitent ___ Tunisie.

Say where Karim's family comes from: le Maroc.

Make the adjective agree: Ma tante est (libanais).

Which two languages are official in Cameroon?

Name one of the four leaders often called founders of the Francophonie, and his country.

In the radio show, what does Minh say about French?

More practice: warm-up

What is the capital of Senegal?

à, en, au or aux: ___ Madagascar

à, en, au or aux: ___ Liban

What does plurilingue mean?

What day is la Journée internationale de la Francophonie?

More practice: on your own

Correct: Je vais en Cambodge cet été.

Say: My friend (a boy) is Ivorian, and his sister was born in Abidjan.

Why does French say en Iran but au Liban, when both are masculine?

Pronounce and explain: marocain / marocaine.

In Karim's introduction, on mélange souvent avec des mots français. Use context to explain mélange.

Challenge

Correct both mistakes: Ma grand-mère vient de le Vietnam et elle habite maintenant en Montréal.

Explain to a friend, in English, why la francophonie is not only about France, using two facts from this lesson.

Introduce a classmate whose father is from Lebanon and whose mother is from Haiti, in two French sentences.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Choose the right word: Nous allons ___ Côte d'Ivoire.

Which sentence is correct?

According to the OIF, where do more than half of daily French speakers live?

Which is the feminine form of sénégalais?

Which country is a 'rule-breaker' (ends in -e but is masculine)?

Who was Senegal's first president, a poet, and one of the founders of the Francophonie?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This is the start of the Grade 9 culture focus, which the curriculum sets as French-speaking communities in Africa and Asia (A3.1, B3.1). Students also learn prepositions with places and nationality agreement (B1.4) and understand teens introducing themselves (A1.2).

How to help: Look at a world map or globe together and find the countries in the table. If your family has roots in another country, share that story; your teen can practise saying it in French. Every family's story is welcome here.

Common difficulties:

Mixing up à and en/au: cities take à; countries take en/au/aux.
Forgetting de + le = du: Il vient du Liban, not de le Liban.
Capital letters: Elle est vietnamienne (no capital) vs une Vietnamienne (capital).
Assuming French is the main language everywhere: in many countries it's one of several. That's a key cultural point.

Accuracy note: We only list facts checked against reliable sources. If your teen researches a country, encourage official or encyclopedic sources and checking dates.