The Loire and Other French Rivers

French people are fond of their rivers, and one of their favorites is the Loire for its beautiful scenery and its castles. But before we explore the Loire River and its tributaries, let's do an overview of the major French rivers and some interesting facts about them.

First fun fact about French rivers: Did you know there are two words for “river,” une rivière and un fleuve? Un fleuve is a major river that flows into the ocean, while une rivière is a river (a tributary) that flows into a larger river, as Lionel explains below:

Un fleuve se jette directement dans la mer alors qu'une rivière se jette dans un fleuve.

A "fleuve" flows directly into the sea, while a "rivière" flows into a "fleuve."

Captions 15-16, Lionel Remich

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This fine but important distinction between the two is sometimes a matter of contention and even national pride for French people. In the following video, Lionel thinks la Meuse qualifies as un fleuve, while Roger thinks it’s both:

Si je peux me permettre, Roger, je crois que la Meuse n'est pas une rivière mais un fleuve.

If I may, Roger, I believe that the Meuse is not a tributary but a major river.

Captions 62-63, Lionel L'Église de Domrémy - Part 1

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Another interesting fact: Just like cities and countries have genders in French, so do rivers. You will even find a masculine version of la Loire! La Loire, un fleuve (major river), should not be confused with its masculine counterpart, le Loir, une rivière, which is an affluent of the Sarthe River:

Le Loir se jette dans la Sarthe et la Loire se jette dans l’océan Atlantique.

The Loir flows into the Sarthe et the Loire empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

Besides the Loir, very few rivers are masculine, such as le Rhône, le Rhin, and l’Escaut. Curiously, most river names are not translated except for some, like le Rhin—the Rhine:

Et d'ailleurs, il est prévu dans "x" siècles que la Moselle ne se jetterait plus dans le Rhin.

And incidentally, it has been predicted in "x" number of centuries that the Moselle supposedly won't flow into the Rhine anymore.

Captions 75-76, Lionel L'Office de tourisme de Liverdun

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Otherwise, most rivers are feminine. As you will notice, the four major French fleuves mentioned in the video below are feminine:

Elle symbolise quatre fleuves français: la Seine, la Loire, la Saône et la Garonne.

It symbolizes four French rivers: the Seine, the Loire, the Saône, and the Garonne.

Caption 19, Voyage dans Paris Le Petit Tokyo

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In any case, as mentioned earlier, French people are very fond of their rivers. In her video, Claudine thinks that la Garonne does not compare with la Loire, which brings back fond memories of her childhood:

Ah oui, c'est vrai que la Garonne ne vaut pas la Loire. 

Oh yes, it's true that the Garonne is not as nice as the Loire. 

Captions 75-76, Claudine Thibout Pivert 2ème Salon du livre et des vieux papiers Mazamet

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La Loire offers beautiful light and scenery, which are a great source of inspiration for her art:

La Loire, c'est un fleuve magique... qui a une lumière extraordinaire.

The Loire is a magical river... which has an extraordinary light.

Captions 60-61, Claudine Thibout Pivert 2ème Salon du livre et des vieux papiers Mazamet

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As la Loire runs all the way across France and is the country’s longest fleuve, it is not surprising to discover that la Loire once divided the country not just geographically but also politically, during Joan of Arc’s time in the fifteenth century, as Lionel explains:

La Loire scinde la France en deux.

The Loire divides France in two.

Caption 52, Lionel Vaucouleurs - Part 1

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The lower part of the Loire once belonged to le Royaume de France (the Kingdom of France):

Le bas en fait de la Loire, le sud de la Loire appartient déjà au Royaume de France...

The lower part of the Loire, actually, south of the Loire already belongs to the Kingdom of France...

Captions 53-54, Lionel Vaucouleurs - Part 1

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While north of the Loire, most people were loyal to the Burgundians and to the English:

...ce qui n'est pas le cas du nord de la Loire, qui lui en fait pour quatre-vingt-dix pour cent, en fait appartient plutôt, ou est plutôt fidèle aux Bourguignons et aux Anglais.

...which is not the case north of the Loire, which in fact for ninety percent [of it], in fact, instead belongs, or rather is loyal to the Burgundians and to the English.

Captions 55-57, Lionel Vaucouleurs - Part 1

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Nowadays, the Loire is a more peaceful setting where you can enjoy the world-renowned châteaux (castles) dotted along its banks and that of its tributaries. In her video, Nelly highly recommends visiting les châteaux de la Loire (the Loire castles):

Si je vous dis, Léonard da Vinci, Catherine de Médicis ou François Premier, vous me dites... châteaux de la Loire, mais bien sûr, les châteaux de la Loire.

If I say to you, Leonardo da Vinci, Catherine de Medici, or Francis the First, you say to me... Loire castles, but of course, the Loire castles.

Captions 59-62, Français avec Nelly 10 Places to Visit in France - Part 1

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A great place to visit is the château de Chenonceau spanning the River (rivière) Cher in the Touraine region near the Loire Valley:

Le château que tu dois absolument visiter, c'est le château de Chenonceau.

The castle that you absolutely must visit is the Château de Chenonceau.

Caption 69, Français avec Nelly 10 Places to Visit in France - Part 1

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Thank you for taking part in our river tour! Be sure to voyage some more with our Yabla travel videos, which will stand you in good stead for future travels to France!