franceses
/frahn-SEH-ses/
French people
Franceses refers to French people as a collective group.
franceses(noun)
French people
?as a collective group
Frenchmen
?when referring specifically to males
📝 In Action
Los franceses son muy orgullosos de su historia.
A1The French people are very proud of their history.
Había muchos franceses en la conferencia internacional.
A2There were many French people at the international conference.
💡 Grammar Points
Using the Article
When using nationalities as nouns to refer to the whole group, you almost always need to include 'los' (the) before the word, like 'Los franceses' (The French).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Article
Mistake: "Franceses son muy amables."
Correction: Los franceses son muy amables. (You need 'los' when talking about the group generally.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Plural Rule
Since the singular form 'francés' ends in a consonant (the 's'), we add '-es' to make it plural, resulting in 'franceses'.
As an adjective, franceses describes multiple masculine nouns, such as two French châteaux (castles).
📝 In Action
Me encantan los vinos franceses.
A1I love French wines.
Los coches franceses son muy eficientes.
A2French cars are very efficient.
💡 Grammar Points
Matching the Noun
Remember that adjectives in Spanish must match the noun they describe. Since 'vinos' (wines) is masculine and plural, you must use the masculine plural form, 'franceses'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Mixing Genders
Mistake: "Comimos galletas francesas y quesos francés."
Correction: Comimos galletas francesas y quesos franceses. (Both the noun and the adjective must be plural.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Positioning
Like most descriptive adjectives, 'franceses' usually comes after the noun it describes: 'coches franceses' (French cars), not 'franceses coches'.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: franceses
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'franceses' as a noun (referring to people)?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the plural of 'francés' spelled with an 'e' before the 's' (franceses)?
In Spanish, if a word ends in a consonant (like the 's' in 'francés'), you need to add '-es' to make it plural. If it ended in a vowel, you would just add 's'.
When do I use 'franceses' versus 'francesas'?
'Franceses' is used for a group of French men, or a mixed group of men and women. 'Francesas' is used only if the group consists entirely of French women or if the noun you are describing is feminine plural (e.g., 'mujeres francesas').