basson
/ba.sɔ̃/masculine
The English word bassoon is translated into French as basson.
The word basson refers to the musical instrument in the woodwind family.
Meaning: musical instrument in the woodwind family (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
basson is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ba.sɔ̃/. It has two syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add an extra 'o' to the spelling, but the French spelling only has one 'o' (basson) instead of the English 'bassoon'.
Did you know?
- The French language uses the word basson to describe the instrument, but the English word 'bassoon' is actually a loanword from this French term.
- In French music terminology, the basson is often jokingly referred to as the 'clown of the orchestra' because of its capacity for wide leaps and quirky sounds.
- The Italian ancestor of the word, bassone, used an augmentative suffix to literally mean a 'big bass'.
Examples in context
- Joues-tu encore du basson ?Are you still playing the bassoon?This sentence is useful for asking if someone still plays the basson.Tatoeba #1359033 by sacredceltic, translation #953127 by CK
- Un de mes frères joue du basson.One of my brothers plays the bassoon.This sentence is useful for stating that one of a person's brothers plays the basson.Tatoeba #6865883 by GB3, translation #6864923 by CK
- Tom sait très bien jouer du basson.Tom is able to play the bassoon very well.This sentence is useful for noting that someone can play the basson very well.Tatoeba #7414080 by lbdx, translation #6242814 by CK
- J'adore jouer du basson, c'est un instrument unique!I love playing the bassoon, it's a unique instrument!
- Nous avons besoin d'un bassoniste pour notre orchestre.We need a bassoonist for our orchestra.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a music school rehearsal.
- LéaHugo, est-ce que tu apportes ton basson aujourd'hui ?Hugo, are you bringing your bassoon today?
- HugoOui, je l'ai dans ma voiture.Yes, I have it in my car.
- LéaSuper, nous en avons besoin pour l'orchestre.Great, we need it for the orchestra.
- HugoPas de problème, je vais le chercher.No problem, I'll go get it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bassoon” translations and entries basson, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries basson, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
