poisson d'avril
/pwa.sɔ̃ d‿a.vʁil/masculine
April Fools' Day in French is usually called poisson d'avril, and the date itself is premier avril. If unsure, use poisson d'avril.
Meaning: First day of April (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| poisson d'avril | /pwa.sɔ̃ d‿a.vʁil/ | masculine |
| premier avril | masculine |
poisson d'avril can refer both to the day and to a specific prank played on that day, as in un poisson d'avril, an April Fools' joke. The fuller name Jour des Poissons d'Avril is a more formal way to name the day.
What does it mean word for word?
poisson d'avril literally means April fish.
Which one should you use?
poisson d'avril refers to the tradition and the pranks, while premier avril is the standard way to state the date itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
poisson d'avril is masculine, so it takes un or le.
When do people say it?
To play a prank on someone, French speakers say coller un poisson d'avril, literally to stick an April fish on someone. Children traditionally try to stick a paper fish on people's backs without being noticed.
Did you know?
- Unlike the English 'April Fools' Day', which focuses on the 'fool', the French term poisson d'avril centers entirely on the image of a fish.
- The term poisson d'avril is part of a wider Romance tradition, appearing as pesce d'aprile in Italy and peixe de abril in Portugal.
- In French, the word poisson for 'fish' is a linguistic relative of the Latin 'piscem', which is also the ancestor of the English word 'pisces' used in astrology.
Examples in context
- J'adore le poisson d'avril !I love April Fools' Day!
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting about holiday traditions.
- ChloéTu te souviens du poisson d'avril ?Do you remember April Fools' Day?
- HugoOui, j'aime bien faire des blagues.Yes, I like playing jokes.
- ChloéHugo, tu es un grand farceur !Hugo, you are such a joker!
- HugoC'est vrai, c'est amusant.It's true, it is fun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “April fools' day” translations and entries poisson d'avril, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
