English Reference

Word

frenchman

Phoneticsfrench·man

/ˈfɹɛntʃmæn/

Definition

n. a man who was born in France or is a citizen of that country.

n. a male native or inhabitant of France, or a man of French descent.

Examples

“The Frenchman ordered a coffee at the small café.”

“During the international conference, a Frenchman shared his perspective on European economic policy.”

“The novel's protagonist is a young Frenchman who travels to London in search of his long-lost relatives, only to find himself caught in a web of local intrigue.”

Examples

simple

“The Frenchman ordered a coffee at the small café.”

contextual

“During the international conference, a Frenchman shared his perspective on European economic policy.”

complex

“The novel's protagonist is a young Frenchman who travels to London in search of his long-lost relatives, only to find himself caught in a web of local intrigue.”

Usage

The plural form is 'Frenchmen'.

Pitfall

He is a French.

He is a Frenchman.

Learners often use the adjective 'French' as a countable noun; 'Frenchman' or 'French person' is required when using an indefinite article.

Etymology

From Middle English Frenshman. By surface analysis, French + -man.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/frenchman

English Reference