ballet
/ba.lɛ/masculine
The French word for "ballet" is ballet.
ballet refers to the art form of ballet. Within the world of ballet, you may encounter other specific terms such as Le pas de deux (a duet or dance for two), Le tutu (the short skirt worn by dancers), Les pointes (shoes with reinforced toes), La ballerine (a female dancer) and Le chorégraphe (the choreographer).
Meaning: form of dance (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ballet is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ba.lɛ/
Did you know?
- Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, which codified the five positions of the feet used in ballet today.
- The term ballet de cour describes the court ballets of the 17th century, where French nobles, including King Louis XIV, performed as dancers.
- While the dance was refined in France, almost all technical terms for ballet are still spoken in French worldwide, regardless of the dancer's native language.
Examples in context
- Elle m'invita au ballet.She invited me to the ballet.This sentence shows how to use ballet when being invited to a performance.Tatoeba #1134902 by sacredceltic, translation #314423 by CK
- J’aurais dû continuer le ballet.I should have continued ballet.This sentence shows how to use ballet when talking about continuing the dance form.Tatoeba #3208968 by gillux, translation #3195675 by Tappity
- Je suis allé au ballet.I went to see the ballet.This sentence shows how to use ballet when describing going to see a performance.Tatoeba #10095571 by JumJum, translation #6805757 by CK
- Le ballet est une forme d'art qui demande beaucoup de grâce et de discipline.Ballet is an art form that requires a lot of grace and discipline.
- Ma sœur pratique la danse classique depuis des années.My sister has been practicing ballet for years.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are discussing a performance they saw.
- LucasLe ballet était magnifique.The ballet was magnificent.
- ChloéOui, les danseuses étaient impressionnantes.Yes, the dancers were impressive.
- LucasQuel est ton ballet préféré ?What is your favorite ballet?
- ChloéJ'adore le ballet classique.I love classical ballet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ballet” translations and entries ballet, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
