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French shapes vocabulary: 12 flat and solid shapes in pictures

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Name twelve French shapes with articles and clear picture cards, compare circles with spheres and squares with cubes, then answer French shape clues.

In short

Use un cercle, un carré and un triangle for flat shapes; use un cube, une sphère and un cylindre for solid forms. These twelve picture cards give you articles and visible clues. A côté is a side of a flat shape; a face is a surface of a solid.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A tasteful still life of simple wooden toys on a table: one cube, one sphere, one cylinder and one cone, softly coloured and entirely unmarked, a normal physical still life with no diagram.
Wooden toys give cube, sphère, cylindre and cône a solid form. Illustration: Atelier

Eight flat shapes

le cerclecircleJe trace un cercle sur la feuille.
le carrésquareLe carré a quatre côtés égaux et quatre angles droits.
le rectanglerectangleCe rectangle est plus long que large.
le triangletriangleLe triangle a trois côtés.
l’ovale (m.)ovalJe dessine un grand ovale.
le losangerhombus; diamond shapeLe losange a quatre côtés égaux.
l’hexagone (m.)hexagonL’hexagone a six côtés.
l’étoile (f.)starCette étoile a cinq branches.

Four solid shapes

le cubecubeLe cube a six faces carrées.
la sphèresphereLa sphère est ronde comme une balle.
le cylindrecylinderLe cylindre ressemble à une boîte de conserve.
le côneconeLe cône a une base ronde et une pointe.

Find the shape named in French

A shape name and an object description
NameAdjectiveExample
le cerclerond / rondeLa table est ronde.
le carrécarré / carréeLa boîte est carrée.
le rectanglerectangulaireLa fenêtre est rectangulaire.
le triangletriangulaireCette pièce est triangulaire.

Je dessine un petit carré rouge et une grande étoile bleue.

I’m drawing a small red square and a large blue star.

The size word comes before the noun here; the colour follows it. Both agree with the noun.

le cercle / la sphèrecircle / sphere

Focus: A flat outline or a solid round form

Le cercle est plat ; la sphère a du volume.
The circle is flat; the sphere has volume.

le carré / le cubesquare / cube

Focus: One flat shape or a solid with six square faces

Je dessine un carré et je construis un cube.
I draw a square and build a cube.

Question 1No account needed
Choose the flat shape.Cette forme a trois côtés.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le triangle. A triangle has three sides. A square has four and a hexagon has six.

Question 2No account needed
Choose the solid form.Cette forme est ronde comme une balle.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la sphère. The description asks for a solid round form: la sphère. A circle is flat.

Question 3No account needed
Choose the shape with six sides.Je cherche une forme plate avec six côtés.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

l’hexagone. L’hexagone is flat and has six sides. A cube has six faces and is solid.

Question 4No account needed
Choose the solid with a point.Cette forme a une base ronde et une pointe.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le cône. The cône has a circular base and one point; a cylinder has two circular bases.

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