conseil
/kɔ̃.sɛj/masculine
Advice in French, meaning an opinion offered to guide behavior, is conseil.
conseil is the standard word for advice. To give advice is donner un conseil. In career or school guidance orientation is used for advice about your path.
Meaning: opinion offered to guide behavior (noun)
Which one should you use?
astuce means a tip or trick, a handy piece of practical advice. conseil can also mean a council or board, as in the name of the French Council of State.
How does it change in a sentence?
conseil is masculine. Unlike English advice, it is countable, so un conseil is one piece of advice and the plural conseils means several pieces of advice.
How do you pronounce it?
conseil is pronounced /kɔ̃.sɛj/, in two syllables, with a nasal first vowel and a final sound like the y in yes.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not treat conseil like the uncountable English word. Where English says some advice, French often uses the plural conseils.
Did you know?
- If you want to follow a piece of advice, you might use the verb suivre, which literally means 'to follow' a path or a trail.
- The English word 'counsel' is a direct sibling of conseil, as both share the same Latin root. While 'advice' is the common term in English, 'counsel' retains the formal and legal weight that conseil carries in French.
- The word conseil is used to name the highest administrative court in France, the Conseil d'État. In this context, it refers to a formal body of people rather than the act of giving a suggestion.
Examples in context
- Écoute mon conseil !Take my advice!Écoute is the informal command, used with one person you know well.Tatoeba #1261797 by sacredceltic, translation #251486 by CN
- Écoutez mon conseil !Listen to my advice!Écoutez is the polite or plural command.Tatoeba #3526756 by sacredceltic, translation #3525067 by adamtrousers
- Merci du bon conseil.Thanks for the good advice.Merci du is how French says thanks for the.Tatoeba #11585886 by Aiji, translation #2974274 by CK
- J'ai besoin de ton conseil.I need your advice.
- Les recommandations du professeur étaient très utiles.The professor's advice was very helpful.
- L'orientation professionnelle qu'elle a reçue l'a aidée à choisir son métier.The career advice she received helped her choose her profession.
- Je te donne un conseil : essaie ce nouveau restaurant.Here's a piece of advice: try this new restaurant.
- J'ai un bon tuyau pour économiser de l'argent.I have a good piece of advice to save money.
- Voici une astuce pour nettoyer les taches tenaces.Here's a tip to remove tough stains.
- Écoute, j'ai un conseil pour toi.Listen, I have a piece of advice for you.
- Si j'étais toi, je suivrais ce conseil.If I were you, I would follow this advice.
- Mon astuce est de prendre des pauses régulières.My tip is to take regular breaks.
- Tu devrais demander l'avis d'un expert.You should seek the opinion of an expert.
- Merci pour ton conseil, je le prends en compte.Thanks for your advice, I'll take it into account.
- Je vais suivre ta recommandation, elle me semble sensée.I will follow your recommendation, it seems sensible to me.
- Super, j'essaierai ce tuyau la prochaine fois.Great, I'll try this tip next time.
- J'apprécie ton astuce, ça va sûrement m'aider.I appreciate your tip, it will surely help me.
- 474 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan is asking Manon for help with his career.
- NathanManon, j'ai besoin d'un conseil.Manon, I need some advice.
- ManonBien sûr, quel est ton problème ?Of course, what is your problem?
- NathanJe ne sais pas quoi faire pour mon travail.I don't know what to do about my job.
- ManonTu devrais en parler à ton patron.You should talk to your boss about it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “advice” translations and entries conseil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries conseil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
