cendre
/sɑ̃dʁ/feminine
The French word for ash is cendre.
The word refers to the solid remains of a fire. You may encounter expressions such as Se couvrir de cendres (to be covered in ash) or Étouffer sous les cendres (to smother under the ashes).
Meaning: solid remains of a fire (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form cendre is typically used when describing ash as a substance or a material, such as cendre volcanique (volcanic ash). When referring to the general remains of a fire or a pile of ash, the word is most commonly used in its plural form cendres.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɑ̃dʁ/
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase cendrillon is the name for 'Cinderella', directly linking the character to the ash and cinders of her domestic work.
- The English word 'cinder' and the French cendre share the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root, meaning 'dust' or 'ashes'.
- In French perfumery, notes that mimic the smell of burnt wood or smoke are sometimes described using the concept of 'notes cendreuses'.
Examples in context
- Des cendres volcaniques ont recouvert la ville.Volcanic ash covered the city.This sentence shows how to describe a city covered by the cendre of a volcano.Tatoeba #8997870 by lbdx, translation #680263 by Source_VOA
- Il y a dans l'atmosphère de la cendre volcanique.There's volcanic ash in the atmosphere.This sentence describes the presence of cendre in the atmosphere.Tatoeba #1800502 by sacredceltic, translation #680278 by Source_VOA
- Ne fais pas de cendres de cigarette sur le tapis.Don't drop cigarette ash on the carpet.This sentence is a warning about dropping cendre from a cigarette.Tatoeba #5136736 by gege_veggie, translation #53030 by sundown
- La cendre est grise après avoir brûlé du bois dans la cheminée.The ash is grey after burning wood in the fireplace.
- Après le feu de camp, il y avait des cendres partout.After the campfire, there were ashes everywhere.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are cleaning up after a campfire.
- LéaIl y a de la cendre partout ici.There is ash everywhere here.
- HugoJe vais nettoyer la cendre avec un balai.I will clean up the ash with a broom.
- LéaEst-ce que tu as jeté la cendre ?Did you throw away the ash?
- HugoNon, je la mets dans la poubelle.No, I am putting it in the trash.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ash” translations and entries cendre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cendre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
