A proper noun designates a being, a place, a work, or an event in a precise way. It does not name a category, but a unique element: Marie, Paris, Le Petit Prince, la Révolution française. If you remove a proper noun, the sentence loses the exact identification of what we are talking about. In Paul habite à Lyon, Paul and Lyon point to specific referents. A proper noun can refer to a person, to a company, to a mountain, to a book, to a film, or to a celebration. In a sentence, it often functions as a noun, with the same roles as Noms: subject, complement, or element of a noun group.

A proper noun generally starts with a capital letter: Sophie, Montréal, Amazon, Vendredi. The capital signals that we are talking about a specific name. When a proper noun contains several words, each important word often takes a capital: La Nouvelle-Orléans, Victor Hugo, Les Misérables. Small words like de, du, la keep their normal form according to the name. In a work title, the capital appears on the first word and often on the essential words of the full name. The words that describe the function or status of a person take a lowercase: le président Macron, la reine Élisabeth.

Initial capital of proper nouns

Idea
A proper noun generally takes an initial capital letter to distinguish it from a common noun.
The first word of a compound proper noun keeps an initial capital letter.

Some place names keep a fixed article that is part of the name: la France, le Canada, les États-Unis, le Havre. The article does not disappear in normal use, and it agrees with the name as in a normal noun phrase. We say en France, au Canada, aux États-Unis because the preposition combines with this fixed article. Other place names do not have an article: Paris, Marseille, Tokyo. With a proper noun accompanied by an article, the sentence thus keeps the full form of the name. The presence of the article can also appear in certain river names, mountain ranges, or establishments, like la Seine or le Louvre.

Place names with a fixed article

Usage	Explanation
Feminine countries	One uses the definite article before certain feminine country names.
Countries in plural	We keep the article in the plural with certain country names.
Names of regions	We use a fixed article with several names of regions or territories.

The name of a country designates a territory: l’Italie, le Maroc, le Japon. The name of a people designates the inhabitants or the community: les Italiens, les Marocains, les Japonais. The country is a singular proper noun, while the people often form with a plural noun and a capital letter. In the sentence, the country serves as a location or geographic reference: Je vais au Japon. The people serve as a subject or complement to talk about the people: Les Japonais aiment le thé. Many names of peoples also have a corresponding adjective, without a capital: une cuisine italienne, un film marocain. The proper noun keeps the precise reference, the adjective describes a quality or an origin.

MarocMarocainJaponItalienItalieFrançaisJaponaisFranceCanadaCanadien

---

C est une personne qui vient d Italie ou qui est liée à ce paysC est une personne qui vient de France ou une personne liée à ce paysC est un pays d Europe connu pour sa langue et sa cultureC est un pays d Europe du Sud célèbre pour sa cuisine et son artC est une personne qui vient du Maroc ou qui y est liéeC est une personne qui vient du Canada ou qui y est liéeC est un pays d Afrique du Nord avec une riche histoireC est un pays d Asie connu pour ses traditions et ses technologiesC est une personne qui vient du Japon ou qui est liée à ce paysC est un grand pays d Amérique du Nord avec beaucoup d espace

Countries and peoples in a school context

Word	Definition
France	It is a country in Europe known for its language and culture.
Français	It is a person who comes from France or someone connected to this country.
Canada	It is a large country in North America with lots of space.
Canadien	It is a person who comes from Canada or who is connected to it.
Italie	It is a country in Southern Europe famous for its cuisine and art.
Italien	It is a person who comes from Italy or who is connected to this country.
Japon	It is an Asian country known for its traditions and technologies.
Japonais	It is a person who comes from Japan or who is connected to this country.
Maroc	It is a country in North Africa with a rich history.
Marocain	It is a person who comes from Morocco or who is connected to it.

Scramble

In book titles, capitalization does not always follow the same logic as in a simple proper noun. The first word takes the capital, then the essential words of the title often do as well: Le Rouge et le Noir, À la recherche du temps perdu. Small words generally stay lowercase, unless they start the title. In a sentence, a title of a work functions as a complete proper noun: J’ai relu Le Petit Prince. Some proper nouns later pass into common usage and become common nouns, often by figurative meaning. One can speak of a Hercule for a very strong man or a Don Juan for a seducer, with lowercase when the word no longer identifies the historical or literary person. The word then changes value: it no longer designates a unique being, but a quality, a type of person, or an idea.

Uppercase in titles and figurative meanings

Idea
In the title of a work, the first word often takes an initial capital.
The other words in a title often stay lowercase if they are not proper nouns.
A proper noun can become a common noun when it designates a category.
A proper noun can take on a figurative meaning to evoke a quality or image.