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Capitalisation variable
For some French words, including nationalities and honorifics, capitalization or the lack thereof distinguishes between different meanings or uses.
I. Compass Points
Capitalized when they refer to a specific place:
| Je veux visiter l’Europe de l’Est. | I want to visit Eastern Europe. | |
| Nous habitons dans le Sud. | We live in the South (of France). |
Not capitalized when they indicate a direction:
| Je l’ai trouvé à l’est de la ville. | I found it east of the city. | |
| Il faut continuer vers le sud pendant 20 kilomètres. | You have to continue south for 20 kilometers. |
II. Honorifics
Capitalized when talking to the person:
| Bonjour Madame Lefèvre, comment allez-vous ? | Hello Mrs. Lefèvre, how are you? | |
| Un moment, s’il vous plaît, Professeur Duchamps. | A moment, please, Professeur Duchamps. |
Not capitalized when talking about him or her:
| J’ai vu madame Lefèvre ce matin. | I saw Mrs. Lefèvre this morning. | |
| Il prends un cours avec le professeur Duchamps. | He’s taking a class with Professor Duchamps. |
III. Nationalities
Capitalized when used as nouns:
| Les Français déjeunent à 13 h. | The French eat lunch at 1pm. | |
| J’ai fait la connaissance d’un Grec hier. | I met a Greek (man) yesterday. |
Not capitalized when used as adjectives:
| Mes voisins sont français. | My neighbors are French. | |
| J’ai découvert un bon vin grec. | I discovered a good Greek wine. |
IV. Places and Products
Places are capitalized:
| J’ai visité la Bourgogne l’année dernière. | I visited Burgundy last year. | |
| Il est à Gruyères, en Suisse. | He’s in Gruyères, in Switzerland. |
Their eponymous products are not capitalized:
| J’y ai dégusté beaucoup de bourgogne. | I tasted a lot of burgundy there. | |
| Il n’aime pas le gruyère. | He doesn’t like gruyère cheese. |
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