taille moyenne
The English phrase 'average height' is translated into French as taille moyenne.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of taille, meaning 'size' or 'height' and moyenne, meaning 'average'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use 'hauteur' instead of 'taille' when referring to a person's height, but 'taille' is the correct term for human stature.
Did you know?
- In certain historical contexts, taille was also the name of a direct tax paid by French citizens to the monarchy.
- The word taille comes from the Old French verb taillier, which means 'to cut'.
- In French, taille is used for both a person's height and their waist size. Depending on the context, une taille 38 could refer to a clothing size or a physical measurement.
Examples in context
- Tom a une taille moyenne.Tom is average height.Tatoeba #5375096 by Aiji, translation #4699961 by CK
- La taille moyenne en France est d'environ 1,75 mètre.The average height in France is around 1.75 meters.
- Il mesure environ 1,70 mètre, c'est une taille normale.He is about 1.70 meters tall, which is an average height.
- Elle est pas trop grande, pas trop petite, environ 1,65 mètre.She is not too tall, not too short, around 1.65 meters.
- Elle a une taille moyenne.She is of average height.
- L'athlète est de taille moyenne.The athlete is of average height.
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are discussing a person's appearance.
- NathanEst-ce que le nouveau collègue est très grand ?Is the new colleague very tall?
- ManonNon, il est de taille moyenne.No, he is of average height.
- NathanD'accord, et Manon est aussi de taille moyenne ?Okay, and is Manon also of average height?
- ManonNon, elle est assez grande.No, she is quite tall.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries taille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
