aimable
/ɛ.mabl/
The French word aimable means having or showing a friendly and pleasant manner toward others.
Aimable is used to describe a person's pleasant manner or disposition.
Which one should you use?
While aimable describes a person's pleasant manner, it is distinct from sympathique, which is more commonly used in casual speech to mean 'nice' or 'likable'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective aimable is invariable in gender, so it has the same form for both masculine and feminine subjects. The plural form of the adjective is aimables.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛ.mabl/. The word has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The Latin root amabilis also gave rise to the word 'amatory' in English, though the two words evolved to describe very different types of affection.
- The Latin ancestor 'amābilis' suggests a person who is 'worthy of being loved', which is a much stronger philosophical foundation than just being 'nice'.
- In very formal or old-fashioned French, calling someone aimable can be a polite way of saying they are merely 'agreeable' without being truly warm or close.
Examples in context
- Elle est très aimable avec ses voisins.She is very kind to her neighbors.
- Le nouveau voisin est très aimable.The new neighbor is very pleasant.
- Elle est toujours aimable avec ses clients.She is always friendly with her customers.
- C'est un garçon vraiment aimable.He is a truly kind boy.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a colleague at work.
- GabrielTu trouves que Marc est aimable ?Do you find Marc to be pleasant?
- ChloéOui, il est très aimable et serviable.Yes, he is very friendly and helpful.
- GabrielC'est vrai, il sourit tout le temps.That's true, he smiles all the time.
- ChloéTout le monde l'apprécie beaucoup.Everyone likes him a lot.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry aimable, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aimable, CC BY-SA 4.0.
