arrière-cour
/a.ʁjɛʁ.kuʁ/
The French word for backyard is arrière-cour.
arrière-cour refers to the yard located at the rear of a house.
Meaning: yard to the rear of a house (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of arrière, meaning back or rear and cour, meaning courtyard.
Which one should you use?
While arrière-cour refers specifically to a yard at the rear, jardin is a more common general term for a garden or yard used for leisure.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of arrière-cour is arrière-cours.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.ʁjɛʁ.kuʁ/
Did you know?
- In historical French architecture, the cour d'honneur was the formal front court for guests, while the arrière-cour was the functional area for servants and stables.
- While arrière-cour is used in France, Canadians in Quebec may use cour arrière by swapping the word order to describe the same space.
- The word cour in arrière-cour shares its roots with the word for a royal 'court', implying that even a small backyard is technically a small enclosed courtyard.
Examples in context
- Tom plante un palmier dans son arrière-cour.Tom is planting a palm tree in his backyard.This sentence shows how to use arrière-cour in the context of gardening.Tatoeba #1709686 by Rovo, translation #1686674 by Amastan
- Il y a une mangeoire à oiseaux au fond de notre arrière-cour.There is a bird feeder in our backyard.This sentence shows how to use arrière-cour to describe an object located within the yard.Tatoeba #1100058 by sacredceltic, translation #1096346 by CK
- Les enfants aiment jouer dans la cour arrière pendant les weekends.Children enjoy playing in the backyard during weekends.
- Viens jouer dans le jardin !Come play in the backyard!
- On se retrouve dans l'arrière-cour pour un barbecue ce soir.Let's meet in the backyard for a barbecue tonight.
- Petite cour arrièreSmall backyard
- Nous aimons organiser des fêtes dans notre arrière-cour.We enjoy organizing parties in our backyard.
- Les enfants jouent dans l'arrière-cour.The children are playing in the backyard.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are looking at a house for sale.
- GabrielRegarde cette grande arrière-cour !Look at this big backyard!
- EmmaC'est vrai, elle est magnifique.It's true, it is magnificent.
- GabrielOn pourrait mettre un trampoline ici.We could put a trampoline here.
- EmmaOui, les enfants vont adorer.Yes, the children will love it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “backyard” translations and entries arrière-cour, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arrière-cour, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
