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French Math Terms | Mathematics Vocabulary

French Math Terms | Mathematics Vocabulary

Lexique de mathématiques

This page provides a comprehensive list of French math terms. The table (see below vocabulary list) covers basic operations, equations, essential vocabulary as well as the various kinds of math.

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French math terms – vocabulary lists

The following list covers basic mathematic operations.

  • une opération mathématique mathematical operation
  • ajouter to add
  • l’addition addition
  • plus plus
  • soustraire to substract
  • moins minus
  • multiplier to multiply
  • la multiplication multiplication
  • multiplié par multiplied by
  • la table de multiplication multiplication table
  • diviser to divide
  • la division division
  • divisé par divided by
  • élever a une puissance to raise to a power
  • carré squared
  • au cube cubed
  • à la quatrième puissance to the fourth power
  • à la puissance de to the power of
  • extraire la racine to extract a root
  • la racine au carré square root
  • la racine cubique cube root
  • à la racine n nth root

The following list covers more essential vocabulary.

  • binaire binary (adj)
  • un nombre binaire binary number
  • calculer to calculate
  • un nombre pair even number
  • un nombre impair odd number
  • un nombre entier whole number
  • un nombre premier prime number
  • un chiffre digit
  • négatif negative (adj)
  • positif positive (adj)
  • un calcul calculation
  • un nombre cardinal cardinal number
  • une constante constant
  • compter to count
  • comptable countable
  • décimal (adj) decimal
  • une virgule decimal
  • la difference difference
  • la division complexe long division
  • l’equalité equality
  • est égale à equals
  • n’est pas égale à does not equal
  • est équivalent à is equivalent to
  • est supérieur à is greater than
  • est inférieur à is less than
  • une équation equation
  • un exposant exponent
  • une fraction fraction
  • un facteur factor
  • mettre en facteurs to factor
  • une fonction function
  • un graphe graph
  • un logarithme logarithm
  • un multiple multiple
  • pour cent percent
  • un pourcentage percentage
  • pi pi
  • un problème de math math problem
  • résoudre un problème de math to solve a math problem
  • le produit product
  • un quotient quotient
  • un ensemble set
  • une solution solution
  • le calcul sum
  • sommer, additionner to sum
  • un symbole symbol
  • une variable variable

This list covers different branches of math.

  • l’algèbre (f) algebra
  • l’arithmétique (f) arithmetic
  • le calcul infinitésimal calculus
  • la géométrie geometry
  • la analyse grammaticale mathematical analysis
  • la théorie des nombres number theory
  • les statistiques (fp) statistics
  • la topologie topology
  • la trigonométrie trigonometry

The following table goes over basic operations. In French you can say both 1) ‘un plus on égale deux’ and 2) ‘un plus un font deux’.

TALKING ABOUT BASIC EQUATIONS
addition - l’addition
2 + 4 = 6deux plus quatre font sixtwo plus four equal six
substraction - la soustraction
5 - 2 = 3cinq moins deux font troisfive minus two equals three
multiplication - la multiplication
2 x 3 = 6deux fois trois font sixtwo times three equals six
2 x 3 = 6deux multipliés par trois font sixtwo multiplied by three equals six
division - la division
8 ÷ 4 = 2huit divisés par quatre font deuxeight divied by four equals two
raising to a power - l’elevation à une puissance
4² = 16quatre au carré égalent seizefour squared (or to the second power) equals sixteen
extraction of a squareroot - l’extraction d’une racine
√4 la racine carrée de quatre est deuxthe square root of four is two
ratio - la proportion
12 : 4 = 9 : 3douze est à quatre comme neuf est à troistwelve is to four as nine is to three

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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