French vocabulary for sea life, including names of common marine animals and example sentences to show how they are used in context.

Sea Animals

Here are some common sea animals in French, along with example sentences:

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
le poisson	les poissons	the fish	the fish	Le poisson nage dans l’eau.	The fish swims in the water.
le requin	les requins	the shark	the sharks	Le requin est un prédateur marin.	The shark is a marine predator.
la baleine	les baleines	the whale	the whales	La baleine souffle de l’air.	The whale blows air.
le dauphin	les dauphins	the dolphin	the dolphins	Le dauphin est très intelligent.	The dolphin is very intelligent.
la tortue	les tortues	the turtle	the turtles	La tortue de mer est lente.	The sea turtle is slow.
la méduse	les méduses	the jellyfish	the jellyfish	La méduse pique parfois.	The jellyfish sometimes stings.
le crabe	les crabes	the crab	the crabs	Le crabe marche de côté.	The crab walks sideways.
la crevette	les crevettes	the shrimp	the shrimp	La crevette est petite.	The shrimp is small.
l’étoile de mer	les étoiles de mer	the starfish	the starfish	L’étoile de mer a cinq bras.	The starfish has five arms.
l’hippocampe	les hippocampes	the seahorse	the seahorses	L’hippocampe nage verticalement.	The seahorse swims vertically.

Sea Habitats and Objects

This section covers vocabulary related to sea habitats and objects found in the ocean:

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
l’océan (m)	les océans	the ocean	the oceans	L’océan est immense.	The ocean is vast.
la plage	les plages	the beach	the beaches	Nous allons à la plage.	We are going to the beach.
le récif	les récifs	the reef	the reefs	Le récif abrite de nombreux poissons.	The reef shelters many fish.
la mer	les mers	the sea	the seas	La mer est agitée aujourd’hui.	The sea is rough today.
le coquillage	les coquillages	the shell	the shells	J’ai ramassé un coquillage.	I collected a shell.
le sable	—	the sand	—	Le sable est chaud.	The sand is hot.
la vague	les vagues	the wave	the waves	Les vagues sont hautes.	The waves are high.
le phare	les phares	the lighthouse	the lighthouses	Le phare guide les bateaux la nuit.	The lighthouse guides boats at night.
le bateau	les bateaux	the boat	the boats	Le bateau quitte le port.	The boat leaves the harbor.
le sous-marin	les sous-marins	the submarine	the submarines	Le sous-marin explore les profondeurs.	The submarine explores the depths.

Le phare quitte le port.

Le bateau quitte le port.

Le bateau quitte la plage.

Le sous-marin quitte le port.

Le bateau quitte le port.

'Le bateau' means 'the boat.' 'Quitte le port' means 'leaves the harbor.' The sentence means 'The boat leaves the harbor.'

Nous allons à l’océan.

Nous allons à la plage.

Nous allons à la mer.

Nous allons au récif.

Nous allons à la plage.

'La plage' means 'the beach.' The sentence 'Nous allons à la plage.' means 'We are going to the beach.'

Here are some common French verbs related to sea life, along with example sentences:

French Verb	English Verb	French Example	English Example
nager	to swim	Le dauphin nage rapidement.	The dolphin swims quickly.
plonger	to dive	Le plongeur plonge dans l’eau.	The diver dives into the water.
pêcher	to fish	Les pêcheurs pêchent tôt le matin.	The fishermen fish early in the morning.
ramasser	to collect	Nous ramassons des coquillages.	We collect shells.
explorer	to explore	Le scientifique explore le récif.	The scientist explores the reef.
flotter	to float	Le bateau flotte sur l’eau.	The boat floats on the water.
glisser	to glide	La raie glisse sous l’eau.	The ray glides underwater.
observer	to observe	Les enfants observent les crabes.	The children observe the crabs.
attraper	to catch	Il attrape un poisson.	He catches a fish.
respirer	to breathe	La baleine respire à la surface.	The whale breathes at the surface.

Finally, here are some useful French expressions related to sea life:

This concludes the sea life vocabulary in French.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025