Vocabulary related to religion in French

Religion gives meaning to many people. They follow it through their lives. In this article, we take you through new French words that will help you talk about religion. Make sure you use them when in France.

1. la réligion

Meaning: the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship

English: religion

Example: Le livre explore la relation entre la religion et la civilisation. (The book explores the relationship between religion and civilization.)

2. la spiritualité 

Meaning: the quality that involves deep feelings and beliefs of a religious nature, rather than the physical parts of life

English: spirituality

Example: Elle aime lire des livres qui parlent de spiritualité(She likes to read books that talk about spirituality.)

3. sacré

Meaning:considered to be pure or good because of being related to what a religion values

English: holy

Example: Il a visité plusieurs lieux sacrés dans toute sa vie. (He has visited several holy places in his entire life.)

4.le texte sacré

Meaning: the holy writings of a religion

English: scripture

Example: Elle était intéressée par la lecture des anciens textes sacrés. (She was interested in reading old scriptures.)

5. le dieu/divinité 

Meaning :a spirit or being believed to control some part of the universe or life and often worshipped for doing so, or something that represents this spirit or being

English: god

Example: Il ne croit pas à l’existence de Dieu. (He doesn’t believe in the existence of god.)

6. le rituel 

Meaning a way of doing something in which the same actions are done in the same way every time

English: ritual

Example: Certaines religions suivent des rituels plus que d’autres.. (Some religions follow rituals more than others.)

7. la croyance

Meaning: the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true

English: belief

Example: Elle professait une croyance en Dieu. (She professed a belief in God.)

8. le foi

Meaning great trust or confidence in something or someone

English: faith

Example: Mon frère a foi en Christ. (My brother has faith in Christ.) 

9. vénérer

Meaning :to have or show a strong feeling of respect and admiration for God or a god

English: worship

Exemple: Ils vénèrent tous le même dieu dans la famille. (They all worship the same god in the family.)

10. athée

Meaning: someone who does not believe in any God or gods

English: atheist

Example: Elle a hésité avant de se déclarer athée. (She hesitated before declaring herself as an atheist.)

11.le christianisme

Meaning :a religion based on belief in God and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and on the Bible

English: christianity

Example: Marie veut se convertir au christianisme après le mariage. (Mary wants to convert to Christianity after marriage.)

12. le bouddhisme

Meaning: a religion that originally comes from South Asia, and teaches that personal spiritual improvement will lead to escape from human suffering

English: buddhism

Example: Il vise à prêcher le bouddhisme dans le monde entier (He aims to preach Buddhism to the entire world.)

13. l’hindouisme 

Meaning: an ancient religion with Indian origins whose characteristics include the worship of many gods and goddesses and the belief that when a person or creature dies, their spirit returns to life in another body

English: hinduism

Example: Ma mère s’est convertie à l’hindouisme lors d’un séjour en Inde. (My mother converted to hinduism while staying in India.)

14. l’islam

Meaning: the Muslim religion, and the people and countries who believe in it

English: islam

Example: Il s’est d’abord intéressé à l’islam alors qu’il faisait sa formation d’infirmier.( He first became interested in Islam while he was doing his nursing training.)

15. le sacrifice

Meaning: the act of killing an animal or person and offering them to a god or gods, or the animal, etc. that is offered

English: sacrifice

Example: Un agneau a été offert en sacrifice. (A lamb was offered in sacrifice)

Now that you have learnt the meanings of these words in French, be sure to use them while you want to talk about religion in France. For more such vocabulary in French, keep following our blog. You can also learn French online with native teachers on our website.