francezii

Francezii is the Romanian term used to refer to the people of France. In Romanian usage, it functions as a noun to denote individuals from France or, more broadly, the French as a national or ethnic group. The corresponding adjectives are francez for masculine, franceză for feminine, with plural forms francezi (masculine or mixed) and franceze (feminine). The definite plural form used in neutral contexts is francezii, meaning “the French.”

Etymology and morphology follow standard Romanian patterns for demonyms. The stem derives from the country name Franţa/France, and the demonym is formed with the typical masculine suffix -ez, followed by the plural endings. The definite article is added as -ii to the plural, yielding francezii for “the French.”

Usage notes emphasize neutral, descriptive function. The term is lowercase in general Romanian prose unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence or in a title. It denotes nationality rather than language; for language, one would use terms such as limba franceză (the French language). The word is common in encyclopedic and journalistic Romanian and carries no inherent pejorative meaning when used descriptively.

Examples of related forms include un francez (a Frenchman) and o franceză (a Frenchwoman). When referring to people from France collectively, francezii is the typical definite form, while discussing individuals requires gendered forms such as francez or franceză. The term is primarily used in Romanian-language contexts and appears in discussions of nationality, culture, and international relations.