pub
/pyb/feminine
The French word for "ad" is pub.
pub is used to refer to an advertisement.
Meaning: clipping of advertisement (noun)
Which one should you use?
pub is the shortened, colloquial version of the word, whereas publicité is the full, formal noun for "advertisement".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
pub is an informal term, while publicité is the formal term used to refer to advertising as a promotional activity.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Because pub is a clipping of the feminine noun publicité, it is always feminine and takes the feminine articles la or une, such as in une pub.
How do you pronounce it?
/pyb/
Did you know?
- While pub means 'ad' in French, it is also a direct loanword from English referring to a public house. Context is the only way to tell if a speaker is talking about a commercial or a bar.
- In some French-speaking regions, the phrase faire de la pub can mean not just to advertise a product, but to 'hype up' or praise a person to make them look good.
- The full word publicité can refer to both the act of advertising and the legal principle of 'publicity', meaning the requirement that certain government documents be available for public inspection.
Examples in context
- Tout ceci est sans pub.This is all completely ad-free.This sentence is useful for seeing how to say something is ad-free using pub.Tatoeba #11958823 by Amastan, translation #11237092 by Amastan
- Thomas travaille pour une agence de pub.Thomas works for an ad agency.This sentence shows how to use pub when talking about an ad agency.Tatoeba #6297587 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6293833 by Tangobango
- L'annonceur n'a pas passé notre publicité.The advertiser didn't run our ad.This sentence uses the full word publicité rather than the clipped form.Tatoeba #10463797 by Julien_PDC, translation #13864382 by tieguy
- J'ai vu cette annonce dans le journalI saw this ad in the newspaper
- L'entreprise a prévu une nouvelle publicité téléviséeThe company has planned a new TV ad
- As-tu vu cette pub à la télé ?Did you see that ad on TV?
- Je regarde les annonces immobilièresI am looking at real estate ads
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are discussing a commercial on television.
- ChloéTu as vu cette nouvelle pub ?Did you see this new ad?
- LucasNon, elle était trop longue.No, it was too long.
- ChloéPourtant, la pub est très drôle.Yet, the ad is very funny.
- LucasJe vais la regarder plus tard.I will watch it later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ad” translations and entries pub, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pub, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
