Spanish-speaking and French-speaking countries
The list includes the countries where each language is official or the main language, with their flags. It is a classic lesson in both languages: the names, the capitals and the flags.
The words
| Picture | English | Spanish | French |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Argentina | · | |
| Bolivia | Bolivia | · | |
| Chile | Chile | · | |
| Colombia | Colombia | · | |
| Costa Rica | Costa Rica | · | |
| Cuba | Cuba | · | |
| Ecuador | Ecuador | · | |
| El Salvador | El Salvador | · | |
| Spain | España | · | |
| Guatemala | Guatemala | · | |
| Equatorial Guinea | Guinea Ecuatorial | · | |
| Honduras | Honduras | · | |
| Mexico | México | · | |
| Nicaragua | Nicaragua | · | |
| Panama | Panamá | · | |
| Paraguay | Paraguay | · | |
| Peru | Perú | · | |
| Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico | · | |
| Dominican Republic | la República Dominicana | · | |
| Uruguay | Uruguay | · | |
| Venezuela | Venezuela | · | |
| France | · | la France | |
| Belgium | · | la Belgique | |
| Switzerland | · | la Suisse | |
| Luxembourg | · | le Luxembourg | |
| Monaco | · | Monaco | |
| Canada | · | le Canada | |
| Haiti | · | Haïti | |
| Senegal | · | le Sénégal | |
| Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | · | la Côte d'Ivoire | |
| Guinea | · | la Guinée | |
| Benin | · | le Bénin | |
| Togo | · | le Togo | |
| Cameroon | · | le Cameroun | |
| Gabon | · | le Gabon | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | · | la République démocratique du Congo | |
| Republic of the Congo | · | le Congo | |
| Madagascar | · | Madagascar | |
| Seychelles | · | les Seychelles | |
| Rwanda | · | le Rwanda | |
| Burundi | · | le Burundi | |
| Chad | · | le Tchad | |
| Djibouti | · | Djibouti | |
| Comoros | · | les Comores | |
| Central African Republic | · | la République centrafricaine |
Where two forms are given, both are standard in different regions and both are marked right on the answer keys. Every word is checked in two dictionaries: how we check. Pictures: OpenMoji, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Language Sheets.
Make a worksheet: spanish-speaking and french-speaking countries
Word search, bingo, crossword, matching or flashcards, with a separate answer key.
Spanish: the 21 Spanish-speaking countries
The usual classroom list has 21 places: 20 countries where Spanish is an official or main language, plus Puerto Rico, a United States territory. Spanish has no legal official status in Mexico, Argentina or Uruguay, though it is the language of each.
A few names may take an article: el Perú, la Argentina, el Ecuador, el Paraguay, el Uruguay; the RAE treats it as optional.
French: countries have a gender
Country names take an article and a gender: la France, le Canada, les Seychelles. That gender decides the preposition: en France, au Canada, aux Seychelles.
Countries ending in -e are mostly feminine (la Belgique, la Suisse); there are exceptions such as le Mexique.
In the classroom
Flag matching is the quickest sheet to set and mark. A crossword of country names with flag clues makes a good end-of-unit test.