milliard
/mi.ljaʁ/masculine
The English phrase "billion" is translated into French as milliard. Wiktionary also lists mille milliards and billion.
Meaning: a thousand million (1,000,000,000), a milliard (num)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| milliard | /mi.ljaʁ/ | masculine |
| mille milliards | ||
| billion | /bi.ljɔ̃/ | masculine, obsolete |
In French, milliard refers to a thousand million (1,000,000,000).
Which one should you use?
The form billion is obsolete in French. The phrase mille milliards is used to express a thousand billion.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use milliard as a noun to indicate a quantity, it must be followed by the preposition de before the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
/mi.ljaʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include de after milliard when expressing quantities. Instead of saying un milliard dollars, you must say un milliard de dollars.
Did you know?
- The French word billion was coined in 1475 by Jehan Adam, who originally wrote it as by-million.
Examples in context
- Un milliard d'adultes sont analphabètes.A billion adults are illiterate.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use milliard with a group of people.Tatoeba #1614403 by sacredceltic, translation #3126210 by patgfisher
- L'Espagne devra emprunter cent milliards d'euros.Spain will need to borrow 100 billion euros.This sentence shows how to use milliard when discussing large sums of money.Tatoeba #1618220 by sacredceltic, translation #1617925 by Spamster
- Que ferais-tu si tu avais un milliard de dollars ?What would you do if you had a billion dollars?This sentence demonstrates the use of milliard in a hypothetical question about wealth.Tatoeba #6474136 by Aiji, translation #5293404 by CK
- La société a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires d'un milliard d'euros.The company achieved a turnover of one billion euros.
- Cette infrastructure coûtera un milliard de dollars.This infrastructure will cost one billion dollars.
- L'entreprise a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires de deux milliards d'euros l'année dernière.The company made a turnover of two billion euros last year.
- Il estime que l'investissement coûtera mille milliards de dollars à long terme.He estimates that the investment will cost a trillion dollars in the long run.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are discussing a global news story.
- NathanCe projet coûte un milliard de dollars.This project costs one billion dollars.
- LéaC'est une somme énorme, Nathan !That is a huge sum, Nathan!
- NathanOui, ils ont besoin d'un milliard pour finir.Yes, they need a billion to finish.
- LéaJ'espère que c'est utile, Léa pense ça.I hope it is useful, Léa thinks so.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “billion” translations and entries milliard, billion, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries billion, mille, milliard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
