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French Astronomy Vocabulary

Learn French vocabulary related to astronomy and space

By , About.com Guide

Learn French vocabulary related to astronomy to talk about planets, stars, and other celestial objects. Note that the names of the planets are similar in French and English, but their pronunciations can be quite different.


une planète
Note: since planète is feminine in French, the names of planets are also feminine

Mercury   Mercure

Venus   Vénus

Earth   la Terre

Mars   Mars

Jupiter   Jupiter

Saturn   Saturne

Uranus    Uranus

Neptune   Neptune

Pluto   Pluton
    On 24 August 2006, Pluto was downgraded from a planet to a dwarf planet: une planète naine

    The mnemonics for remembering the names and order of the planets, such as "My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets" and "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Potatoes" have various French equivalents, including

    Mais Viendras-Tu Manger Jeudi Sur Une Nappe Propre ?
    Ma Vieille Tante Marie Joue Sur Un Nouveau Piano
    Mon Vieux Théâtre Me Joue Souvent Une Nouvelle Pièce
    Ma Voiture Te Mène Joyeusement Sur Une Nationale Poussiéreuse
    Me Voici Tout Mouillé, J'ai Suivi Un Nuage Pluvieux
    Monsieur Vous Travaillez Mal, Je Suis Un Novice Paumé
    Mon Vieux Tu M'as Jeté Sur Une Nouvelle Planète

    (Of course, now that Pluto is no longer a planet, these need to be redone, in both languages)

More French Astronomy Vocabulary

asteroid   un astéroïde

comet   une comète

galaxy   une galaxie

meteor   un météore

moon   la lune

sky   le ciel

space   espace (masculine)

solar system   le système solaire

star   une étoile

sun   le soleil

universe   un univers

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