animation
/a.ni.ma.sjɔ̃/
The English word "animation" is animation in French.
The term animation refers to the process of causing images to appear to move or a state of being lively.
Meaning: causing images to appear to move (noun)
Which one should you use?
While animation refers to the process or movement itself, if you wish to refer to a cartoon, the more common French term is dessin animé.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because animation starts with a vowel, the singular definite article la elides into l', resulting in l'animation. To form the plural, add an s to the end to get animations. Note that this s is silent in pronunciation.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.ni.ma.sjɔ̃/. It has 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- If you ask for an animation in a French hotel, you might receive a scheduled activity like a dance class or a game rather than a cartoon.
- In France, a person whose job is animation is an animateur, which often refers to a children's camp counselor or a TV host rather than a technical animator.
- The word animation comes from the Latin animātiōnem, which shares a root with the English word 'animal' because both relate to the concept of having a soul or breath.
Examples in context
- La fonction TickDisplay doit être appelée à chaque frame pour que l'animation soit jouée.The TickDisplay function has to be called every frame in order to play the animation.This sentence is useful for discussing how to trigger the animation in a technical context.Tatoeba #752349 by qdii, translation #752362 by qdii
- Tu as vu le dernier film d'animation ? Les dessins animés sont de plus en plus réalistes et captivants!Have you seen the latest animated film? Cartoons are becoming more and more realistic and captivating!
- L'animation de ce film est magnifique.The animation in this movie is magnificent.
- Il travaille dans l'animation de dessins animés.He works in cartoon animation.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about a movie.
- LucasAs-tu vu le dernier film d'animation ?Have you seen the latest animation film?
- EmmaOui, l'animation était vraiment magnifique.Yes, the animation was truly magnificent.
- LucasJe trouve que les couleurs sont superbes.I think the colors are superb.
- EmmaC'est vrai, c'est un travail impressionnant.That's true, it is impressive work.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “animation” translations and entries animation, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries animation, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
