Capital and lower case letters

The rules for the use of capitals are very complex and changeable. Here are a few leads to help you. It should be noted that the use of capitals is slightly different in French and in English.

The following require a capital letter:
  • the first word of a sentence.
  • the first word of a quotation, however short it may be:
    Il cria : «Non.»
  • the beginning of each line of verse in a poem;
  • proper names of people;
  • the names of towns, countries, rivers, nationalities and races:
    …à Paris… le Sénégal… la Tamise… les Français… les Blancs… la Répiblique d'Irlande
  • titles and occupations which replace a person's name:
    …le Président… Madame la Directrice…
  • the different forms of address in a letter:
    Cher Monsieur, …
    Veuilleez agréer, Madame, mes salutations distinguées.
  • the names of associations, organizations, etc.:
    l'Alliance française… la Compagnie générale des Eaux…
  • the names of great historical periods or events:
    … la Révolution française… la guerre de Cents Ans…
The following do not require capital letters:
  • the names of days of the week and months of the year:
    C'était le début du mois de novembre. C'est vendredi.
  • adjectives which denote nationality or region:
    … un citoyen suédois… une femme africaine…une spécialité alsacienne… la République italienne.
  • nouns and adjectives which describe a language:
    … la grammaire française... Il parle anglais. L'italien est une langue latine.
  • titles or qualities which precede a proper noun:
    …le président Chirac…

Capital letters in the names of artistic works


As a general rule:
  • capitalize the initial letter of the first word only, provided it is not a definite article:
    À la recherche du temps perdu.
    Une vie
  • capitalize the initial letters of the first two words if they are a definite article followed by a noun:
    Le Journal d'une femme de chambre.
  • capitalize the initial letters of the first three words if they are a difinite article followed by an adjective followed by a noun:
    La Double Inconstance
Of course, if the title includes a proper name, a capital is required for the proper name as well:
L'Enfance de Bacchus

The titles of books and works of art must always be underlined or written in italics.