How to Name Punctuations in French
Last Updated: • Published • by orryanThere will be times during your French learning endeavors that you must refer to punctuation. Let's find out how to talk about them!
Full Stop and Comma
A full stop (.) is un point, and a comma (,) is une virgule.
Question and Exclamation Mark
You’d refer to a question mark (?) as un point d’interrogation, and you might be able to infer that an exclamation mark (!) is... un point d’exclamation.
Semicolon and Colon
A semicolon (;) is un point virgule, literally meaning “a dot comma”—remember what a full stop and a comma is en français! A colon (:) is deux points, meaning “two dots”.
Ellipsis
You guessed it—an ellipsis (...) is trois points. It is also sometimes referred to as les points de suspension.
Dash, Parentheses. and Quotation Marks
A hyphen, or a dash (-), is un tiret, whereas parentheses ( ) is les parenthèses. French often uses these symbols: « » as quotation marks in lieu of the typical quotation marks: “ “ that are typically used in English. These are referred to as les guillemets.
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