When you’re driving with the French countryside, looking the artwork in the Louvre, or gazing top top your partner or potential partner, you’ll no doubt want to know exactly how to speak beautiful in French; there’s so lot that is beautiful in France.

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In this post, we’ll walk through whatever you require to understand to perfect use the word beautiful in French. We’ll focus on words belle/beau, i m sorry is the most generally used word come say “beautiful” because that men and also women. That is also used to describe landscapes, paintings, books, or any type of other object that have the right to be defined as beautiful. 

For more words related to beauty, you can be interested in reading around the many beautiful French words the you’ll ever before hear.

How come Say Beautiful in French in ~ a Glance


French


English


Belle

Beautiful (feminine)


Beau

Beautiful (masculine)


Joli

Pretty


Canon

Hot, good-looking


Mignon

Cute


Ravissant

Ravishing, gorgeous


Contents


Other Words for Beautiful in French

Difference in between Belle vs Beau


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Belle and also beau is an adjective that method “beautiful” and also “handsome” in French.

These are, as all adjectives, supplied to define a human being or an object. “Beau” describes a woman noun and “belle” describes a feminine noun. Before using “beau” or “belle” you require to discover out the gender of her noun (if it’s no obvious!)

For people, the difference is nice easy. You usage “beau” once you’re introduce to a man and also “belle” for a woman. To tell someone “you space beautiful” in French, friend would readjust belle and also beau depending on the sex they determine as.

Tu es belle. – You are beautiful. (addressing a woman)Tu es beau. – You are handsome/beautiful. (addressing a man)

But once talking about objects, it’s a little tricker. English speakers regularly have a tough time imagining the all noun in French have actually a gender, yet yes, it’s true. To effectively construct a sentence you require to know the sex of the words girlfriend use. Here are the genders of some commonly used objects.

La voiture → La belle voiture (the beautiful car)Le soleil → Le beau soleil (the beautiful sun)Le sofa → Le beau sofa (the beautiful sofa)La lune → La belle lune (the beautiful moon)La tv → La belle tv (the beautiful television)

Maybe someone has actually complimented you or something of yours that’s beautiful. Learn how to respond by saying give thanks to you in French.

Difference between Beau vs Bel

But what about bel? Bel is one more one of French’s numerous exceptions come the rule. Bel is offered with a singular mrs noun as soon as the noun the comes after that starts through a vowel.

The French don’t favor to see two vowels together, together it doesn’t run smoothly and also sounds a little awkward. They discover a means to insert or omit letters to stop the clash of 2 vowels. Examine out this examples. The incorrect creates are top top the left and the correct type with bel is top top the right.


When beau and also a noun starting with a collection are supplied in a sentence, “beau” is substituted through “bel” to make pronunciation easier. Shot saying the unit volume on the left and also compare it come the phrases on the right. Hopefully, you’ll uncover that the sentence on the right circulation a bit easier.

Naturally, this can reason some man for beginning learners since “bel” is so similar to “belle”. Yet as long as girlfriend remember, “bel” is provided with masculine noun (if “beau” can not be used) and also “belle” is used with feminine nouns, you will gain this right in no time!

Using the Plural form of Belle and Beau

Now stop look in ~ the plural develops of “belle” and “beau” together. Our first guess is to add an ‘s’, right? that true, the plural for most french native is done through an s, but here us have one more exception. Very sewing the plural the belle is simply belles , however, the plural the “beau” is made through an x, bring about beaux .

All native that finish with -eau have actually an x in their plural form. Let’s look at a couple of examples. We’ve included examples the aren’t strictly “beau” so friend can gain a wider idea of this rule.


Singularun couteau (a knife)un chapeau (a hat)


The nice point is the “bel” doesn’t have a plural form! because that the masculine plural you constantly use “beaux”, even for nouns that start with a vowel. Why? remember that we only used “bel” to avoid two vowels conference (such as beau avion -> bel avion) and “beaux” doesn’t finish with a vowel (beaux avions).

Fun fact, both the s and x are silent, for this reason the plural creates “belles” and also “beaux” are pronounced exactly the same means as the singular creates “belle”, “beau” and “bel”.

Using Adverbs v Beau and Belle

Now that we are more familiar with when and also how to use “belle/beau”, let’s see exactly how we can encompass adverbs to ar special focus when utilizing beautiful in French and also become a full “charmeur”. You can add any adverb before “beau/belle” come specify quantity, time or place. Look at at these examples:

French AdverbEnglishExample Sentence
Très VeryTa maison est très belle.Your house is an extremely beautiful.
Toujours AlwaysElle est toujours belle.She is constantly beautiful.
Le add to The mostIl est le plus beau!He is the most handsome.
Vraiment ReallyLes fleurs sont vraiment belles.The flowers room really beautiful.
Rarement RarelyLe temps ici est rarement beau.The weather right here is seldom good.

In this critical sentence we have an exception of an expression through “beau”. “Beau” is supplied to explain the weather and in this paper definition doesn’t typical beautiful yet good.

Where to placed Belle and also Beau in a Sentence

It is usually the case in French the adjectives are inserted after the noun. As in the examples below:


FrenchC’est une table verte.C’est un homme gentil.Elle est une femme elegante.


Other Words for Beautiful in French

Sometimes words “beautiful” doesn’t really describe what you’re looking in ~ fully, what if it is pretty, cute, tremendous or even breathtaking? We acquired you covered right here too. Look at the alternatives to beau/belle below:

Joli(e)

Joli way pretty in French. You have the right to use it come describe civilization (most frequently women and girls) but additionally to describe clothing or equipment or anything that would call for the word “pretty” in English.

Be careful, “joli” is supplied for a masculine noun and “jolie” for a female noun. The plural of each is constructed with an s at the end. Similar to the grammatical order of belle and beau, joli(e) is also located before the noun it describes.


FrenchElle est trop jolie ta fille.J’ai acheté des jolies chaussures.Tu as des jolis yeux bleus.


This critical sentence is an interesting example as has two adjectives, bleu (blue) and joli (pretty). Joli is placed prior to yeux (eyes), comparable to the method beau and also belle would certainly be placed, and also bleu behaves comparable to most adjectives. That goes ~ yeux.

Canon

Canon is an expression that equates to miscellaneous like an extremely good-looking or hot. It is provided to describe adults, male and also female, and also it constantly stays in the same form, there is no e or s added in the mrs or many form. “Canon” is a colloquial native most often used in a younger demographic. “Canon”, prefer the majority of french adjectives, is inserted after the noun.

FrenchTa soeur est canon.C’est qui, cet homme canon?Le canon de la beauté est survalorisé.


Can you see what i did in this last sentence? I provided you a tiny hint about where the word “canon” comes from. “Canon” isn’t an adjective every say, it’s a noun and describes “le canon de beauté”, the standard of beauty. It has in recent years evolved and also is now used as an adjective. But due to the fact that its beginning is as a noun, the is no modified with an e or s in the female or many form. Someone who is “canon” accurate fits the conventional of beauty, beauty in French.

Mignon(ne)

Mignon way cute in French. As with in English it have the right to be provided to define children, specifically babies, but additionally objects. In the male form we use “mignon”, however the female kind is “mignonne”. You include an s to both creates in the plural version.

Just like canon, mignon is located after the noun that describes. 


FrenchTon petit-fils est vraiment mignon.Elle a des filles mignonnes.


Ravissant(e)

Maybe you deserve to guess what this one means? Ravissant is the indistinguishable of ravishing or gorgeous, another French word because that beautiful. The French usage it once someone it s okay dressed up and also puts much more effort than usual right into their appearance. I guarantee you that calling who “ravissant(e)” will flatter castle incredibly!

Similar come the various other adjectives in this perform the female type has an e in ~ the end and the plural forms both have actually an s added at the end. “Ravissante” is located after the noun.


FrenchElle est ravissante ce soir.J’adore ta robe ravissante.Quand tu car maquilles, tu es ravissante.


EnglishShe looks ravishing tonight.I love your gorgeous dress.When you put on makeup you are ravishing.

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Conclusion

While flattery can definitely get you areas with the French, nothing overdo it. They have a propensity to downplay their emotions and exaggerated heart-to-hearts aren’t constantly well received. Friend will generally find adverb such as trop (too) rather of très, portraying that the French skinny on the next of modesty in their linguistic praise.

So don’t use belle/beau for everything, mix it up and also include several of the synonyms the beautiful stated above. And over all, make sure that her compliments space sincere!