Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| la nuit | |
| de nuit | /də nɥi/ |
| nuitamment | /nɥi.ta.mɑ̃/ |
To specify timing, you might use tard dans la nuit for "late at night" or au milieu de la nuit for "in the middle of the night". For frequency, use toutes les nuits or chaque nuit for "every night" or "each night" and tous les soirs for "every evening".
Which one should you use?
Use la nuit to indicate the general time when an action occurs, such as "at night". Use de nuit specifically when describing a type of work or a recurring schedule, similar to saying "night-shift". Finally, nuitamment is a formal or technical adverb used to describe something happening nocturnally, often in legal or administrative contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using la nuit as an adverbial phrase meaning "at night", it does not require a preposition like à or pendant before it.
Did you know?
- In a legal context, nuitamment is used to specify that a crime or action occurred during the night, which can sometimes change the severity of the offense.
- In French literature, la nuit is frequently personified as a feminine entity, reflecting its grammatical gender.
- The word nuit shares a common ancestor with the English word 'night' and the Greek 'nyx', all descending from the Proto-Indo-European root *nókʷts.
Examples in context
- Il travaille de nuit.He works at night.This sentence uses de nuit to show someone's work schedule.Tatoeba #966212 by sacredceltic, translation #435048 by lukaszpp
- Je travaille de nuit.I work at night.Tatoeba #1341587 by sacredceltic, translation #5856386 by CK
- La lune brille la nuit.The moon shines at night.This sentence uses la nuit to indicate the time the moon shines.Tatoeba #431367 by qdii, translation #238837 by AutoBot
- Les étoiles brillent pendant la nuit.The stars shine during the night.
- Les animaux se déplacent au cours de la nuit.Animals move during the night.
- Je préfère voyager durant la nuit.I prefer traveling during the night.
- J'aime me promener dans la ville la nuit tombée.I enjoy strolling through the city when night falls.
- Les étoiles deviennent visibles la nuit venue.The stars become visible when night comes.
- 165 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are talking about their sleep habits.
- HugoEst-ce que tu dors bien la nuit ?Do you sleep well at night?
- EmmaPas toujours, car il y a du bruit.Not always, because there is noise.
- HugoMoi, je préfère lire la nuit.Me, I prefer reading at night.
- EmmaC'est très calme pour étudier.It is very quiet for studying.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “at night” translations and entries de nuit, nuitamment, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, la, nuit, nuitamment, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
