belle femme
The French way to say beautiful lady is belle femme.
This phrase is used to describe a woman who is physically attractive. When using belle femme in a sentence, you will almost always need to precede it with an article such as une (a) or la (the).
Which one should you use?
While belle femme literally translates to 'beautiful woman', it is the standard way to express 'beautiful lady' in French. If you wish to emphasize the lady aspect or a person's social status rather than just her being a woman, you can use belle dame.
Did you know?
- While belle femme means 'beautiful woman', femme is also the standard French word for 'wife'.
- The word femme is related to the Latin femina, but its earliest roots are found in the concept of one who 'suckles'.
- Using belle dame can sound anachronistic or overly poetic to modern French ears, as if someone is stepping out of a fairy tale.
Examples in context
- C'est une très belle femme.She is a very beautiful lady.
- Tu es une belle femme.You are a beautiful lady.
Example conversation
Gabriel gives a compliment to Chloé at a party.
- GabrielTu es vraiment une belle femme ce soir, Chloé.You are truly a beautiful lady tonight, Chloé.
- ChloéC'est très gentil de ta part, Gabriel.That is very kind of you, Gabriel.
- GabrielJe suis sincère, tu es magnifique.I am sincere, you are magnificent.
- ChloéMerci beaucoup pour le compliment.Thank you very much for the compliment.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries femme, CC BY-SA 4.0.
