adulte
/a.dylt/feminine, masculine
The English word 'adult' is translated into French as adulte. Wiktionary also lists grande personne and grand.
Meaning: fully grown human (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| adulte | /a.dylt/ | feminine, masculine |
| grande personne | feminine | |
| grand | /ɡʁɑ̃/ /ɡʁɑ̃.t‿/ |
masculine |
The primary way to say 'adult' is with the word adulte, which can be used as a noun to refer to a fully grown human or as an adjective meaning 'fully grown'.
Which one should you use?
While adulte is the standard noun, grande personne is a more colloquial expression for an adult. This phrase is often used from a child's perspective.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun adulte is epicene, which means it maintains the same form for both masculine and feminine subjects. The form grande personne is specifically feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
adulte is pronounced /a.dylt/ and consists of 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- While grande personne means 'adult' from a child's perspective, the word personne on its own can mean 'nobody' in French.
- Because grande personne is always feminine, the adjective grande stays feminine even if the adult being discussed is a man.
- The word personne used in grande personne comes from the Latin persona, which originally referred to the masks worn by actors in antiquity.
Examples in context
- Tom est un adulte.Tom is an adult.This sentence is useful for identifying someone as an adulte.Tatoeba #5364627 by Aiji, translation #2272937 by CK
- Il est devenu adulte.He became an adult.This sentence describes the process of becoming an adulte.Tatoeba #12694793 by Rovo, translation #12886315 by rul
- Il me traite en adulte.He treats me as an adult.This sentence shows how someone is treated as an adulte.Tatoeba #1989254 by sacredceltic, translation #298152 by CK
- Il est devenu un adulte responsable.He has become a responsible adult.
- Il faut être une personne majeure pour signer ce contrat.You need to be an adult to sign this contract.
- Je suis enfin majeur(e) !I am finally an adult!
- Mon frère est déjà grand, il peut prendre ses propres décisions.My brother is already an adult, he can make his own decisions.
- 45 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are at a movie theater.
- EmmaCe film est réservé pour un adulte.This movie is reserved for an adult.
- GabrielMais je suis un adulte, Emma !But I am an adult, Emma!
- EmmaTu ne le sembles pas être.You don't seem to be one.
- GabrielJe vais montrer ma carte d'identité.I am going to show my ID card.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “adult” translations and entries adulte, grande personne, grand, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adulte, grand, personne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
