Animals in French
Updated July 5, 2026
The French words for common animals include le chien (dog), le chat (cat), l'oiseau (bird), and le cheval (horse), each with its own gender. They turn up constantly in children's shows and idioms, which makes them easy early vocabulary.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le chien | dog |
| le chat | cat |
| l'oiseau | birdmasculine; plural les oiseaux |
| le poisson | fish |
| la vache | cow |
| le cochon | pig |
| le poulet | chicken |
| le cheval | horseplural les chevaux |
| le lapin | rabbit |
| la souris | mousefeminine |
| le mouton | sheep |
| le canard | duck |
Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch French shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.
Hear them in: The Hook Up Plan, Notre-Dame.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you say animal in French?
- An animal is un animal, and the plural is irregular: les animaux. A pet is un animal de compagnie.
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