French Nature Words: The Most Useful Vocabulary 🌍🌳🌊
Nature is a big part of everyday life and conversation — whether you’re traveling in France, exploring the countryside, or just describing the weather. Learning French nature vocabulary will help you talk about landscapes, seasons, animals, and the environment.
This guide gives you the most useful French words about nature, with English translations and examples.
🌿 Basic Nature Vocabulary in French
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La nature – nature
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Un paysage – landscape
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La campagne – countryside
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La forêt – forest
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Un arbre – tree
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Une plante – plant
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Une fleur – flower
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L’herbe – grass
👉 Example: J’aime me promener dans la nature.
(I like walking in nature.)
🌊 Water & Landforms
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La mer – sea
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L’océan – ocean
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Un lac – lake
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Une rivière – river
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Un fleuve – large river (flowing into the sea)
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Un étang – pond
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Une montagne – mountain
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Une colline – hill
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Un volcan – volcano
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Un désert – desert
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Une plage – beach
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Une île – island
👉 Example: Le lac est entouré de montagnes.
(The lake is surrounded by mountains.)
🌦️ Weather and Seasons
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Le soleil – sun
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La pluie – rain
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La neige – snow
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Le vent – wind
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Le ciel – sky
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Un nuage – cloud
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Un arc-en-ciel – rainbow
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Une saison – season
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Le printemps – spring
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L’été – summer
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L’automne – autumn / fall
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L’hiver – winter
👉 Example: En été, il y a beaucoup de soleil.
(In summer, there is a lot of sun.)
🐾 Animals & Wildlife
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Un animal – animal
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Un oiseau – bird
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Un poisson – fish
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Un insecte – insect
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Un papillon – butterfly
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Un chien – dog
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Un chat – cat
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Un cheval – horse
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Une vache – cow
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Un mouton – sheep
👉 Example: Il y a beaucoup d’oiseaux dans la forêt.
(There are many birds in the forest.)
🌍 Environment & Ecology
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L’air – air
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L’eau – water
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La terre – earth / soil
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Une pierre – stone
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Une roche – rock
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La planète – planet
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Un écosystème – ecosystem
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La pollution – pollution
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Protéger la nature – to protect nature
👉 Example: Nous devons protéger la planète.
(We must protect the planet.)
💬 Useful Phrases
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La nature est belle. – Nature is beautiful.
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J’adore les montagnes et la mer. – I love the mountains and the sea.
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Les fleurs poussent au printemps. – Flowers grow in spring.
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Les animaux font partie de la nature. – Animals are part of nature.
🎯 Practice Activity
👉 Write 3–5 sentences in French about nature around you. For example:
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Il y a un grand arbre dans mon jardin.
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Aujourd’hui, le ciel est bleu et sans nuages.
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La rivière traverse la ville.
✅ Conclusion
By learning this French vocabulary list about nature, you’ll be able to describe landscapes, animals, and the environment in everyday French conversations. These useful French words will make your language more expressive and help you connect with the natural world in French.
If you liked this, check out more of our French vocabulary lists to keep improving step by step!