French Variable Capitalization - Lawless French Writing


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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.