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French genres vocabulary covering music, literature, and film genres for building comprehensive genre knowledge.

French has specific vocabulary for talking about genres across different fields like music, literature, and film. In this guide, you’ll learn the most common French genre words and see example sentences to help you use them confidently. We’ll cover three main categories: music genres, literary genres, and film genres.

Music

French music genre names often come from the same roots as their English counterparts, but some traditional genres have unique French terms.
  1. le rock / rock — Rock
J’écoute du rock ce soir. — I’m listening to rock tonight.
  1. le jazz / jazz — Jazz
Elle joue du jazz au club. — She plays jazz at the club.
  1. la pop / pop — Pop
La chanson est une musique pop. — The song is pop music.
  1. le classique / classical — Classical
Il étudie la musique classique. — He studies classical music.
  1. le rap / rap — Rap
Le rap français est très populaire. — French rap is very popular.
  1. la musique électronique / electronic music — Electronic music
Ils produisent de la musique électronique. — They produce electronic music.
  1. le blues / blues — Blues
Le groupe joue du blues ce soir. — The band is playing blues tonight.
  1. le reggae / reggae — Reggae
J’aime écouter du reggae en été. — I like listening to reggae in summer.
  1. la salsa / salsa — Salsa
Nous dansons la salsa au festival. — We dance salsa at the festival.
  1. le folk / folk — Folk
Elle chante des chansons folk. — She sings folk songs.

Literature

French literary genres include both universal categories and some specific to French literature traditions.
  1. le roman / novel — Novel
Je lis un roman de Victor Hugo. — I’m reading a novel by Victor Hugo.
  1. la poésie / poetry — Poetry
Elle écrit de la poésie moderne. — She writes modern poetry.
  1. le théâtre / theater — Theater / Play
Nous avons vu une pièce de théâtre. — We saw a play.
  1. la nouvelle / short story — Short story
Il a publié une nouvelle hier. — He published a short story yesterday.
  1. l’essai (m.) / essay — Essay
Cet essai parle de philosophie. — This essay is about philosophy.
  1. la biographie / biography — Biography
J’ai lu la biographie de Simone de Beauvoir. — I read Simone de Beauvoir’s biography.
  1. l’autobiographie (f.) / autobiography — Autobiography
Son autobiographie est très touchante. — Her autobiography is very touching.
  1. le conte / tale — Tale
Les contes de fées sont populaires. — Fairy tales are popular.
  1. la fable / fable — Fable
La Fontaine a écrit des fables célèbres. — La Fontaine wrote famous fables.
  1. le polar / crime novel — Crime novel
Ce polar est plein de suspense. — This crime novel is full of suspense.

Film

French film genres use many of the same terms as English, but some have unique labels.
  1. le drame / drama — Drama
C’est un drame très émouvant. — It’s a very moving drama.
  1. la comédie / comedy — Comedy
Nous avons regardé une comédie hier soir. — We watched a comedy last night.
  1. le thriller / thriller — Thriller
Ce thriller est plein de rebondissements. — This thriller is full of twists.
  1. le documentaire / documentary — Documentary
Le documentaire passe à 20 heures. — The documentary airs at 8 p.m.
  1. la science-fiction / science fiction — Science fiction
J’adore les films de science-fiction. — I love science fiction movies.
  1. le film d’horreur / horror film — Horror
Ce film d’horreur est terrifiant. — This horror movie is terrifying.
  1. le film d’aventure / adventure film — Adventure
Nous avons vu un film d’aventure passionnant. — We saw an exciting adventure movie.
  1. le dessin animé / animated film — Animation / Cartoon
Les enfants regardent un dessin animé. — The kids are watching a cartoon.
  1. le western / western — Western
Le western est un genre classique. — Western is a classic genre.
  1. la comédie romantique / romantic comedy — Romantic comedy
J’aime les comédies romantiques. — I like romantic comedies.

Nous avons regardé une ___ hier soir. (We watched a ___ last night.)


What is the French word for 'comedy' as a film genre?


comédie
‘Comédie’ is the French word for comedy. The sentence means 'We watched a comedy last night.'
These are the key genre vocabularies in French for music, literature, and film. You can now describe your favorite genres, recommend works, and ask others about their tastes all in French!
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Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025

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