fourmi
/fuʁ.mi/feminine
The English word 'ant' is translated into French as fourmi.
fourmi refers to the insect. A common idiomatic way to use this word is in the expression travail de fourmi, which describes work that is very detailed, slow or meticulous, similar to how an ant carries small pieces of food.
Meaning: insect (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word fourmi is a feminine noun. To form the plural, such as 'ants', use fourmis.
How do you pronounce it?
/fuʁ.mi/
Did you know?
- The word fourmi is a direct descendant of the Latin word formīca, which also gave rise to the word 'formic acid' in English.
- While fourmi is always feminine, the related term for an anthill, fourmilière, is also feminine and is often used metaphorically to describe a chaotic, crowded place.
- In French culture, the ant is famously contrasted with the grasshopper in the fable 'The Ant and the Grasshopper' by Jean de La Fontaine.
Examples in context
- La fourmi était rouge.The ant was red.This sentence is useful for describing the color of a fourmi.Tatoeba #6173351 by felix63, translation #6162778 by sundown
- Travaille comme une fourmi.Work as the ant.This sentence uses fourmi to illustrate a comparison of work ethic.Tatoeba #761100 by pandark, translation #760108 by shanghainese
- Sysko fait un travail de fourmi.Sysko works like an ant.This sentence shows how fourmi is used in an expression to describe meticulous work.Tatoeba #754291 by sacredceltic, translation #67331 by Scott
- Les fourmis sont des insectes sociaux qui vivent en colonies.Ants are social insects that live in colonies.
- Regarde cette petite bestiole qui grimpe sur la table, c'est une fourmi!Look at that little critter climbing on the table, it's an ant!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are sitting in a park.
- ManonRegarde cette petite fourmi sur la feuille.Look at this little ant on the leaf.
- HugoElle est très rapide, cette fourmi.This ant is very fast.
- ManonOù va-t-elle avec cette miette ?Where is she going with that crumb?
- HugoElle la ramène sûrement à sa fourmilière.She is surely bringing it back to her anthill.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ant” translations and entries fourmi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fourmi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
