geai bleu
/ʒɛ blø/masculine
The English phrase "blue jay" is translated into French as geai bleu.
geai bleu refers to the species of North American jay.
Meaning: species of North American jay (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This term is a literal translation where geai means "jay" and bleu means "blue".
How does it change in a sentence?
geai bleu is a masculine noun. Because geai is masculine, any accompanying adjectives must also be in the masculine form. To form the plural, both the noun and the adjective take an s to become geais bleus.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒɛ blø/
Did you know?
- The word bleu can be used as a playful euphemism for Dieu, the French word for 'God'.
- The spelling of geai is an orthographic fossil, as the modern 'ge-' prefix was added to mirror its Latin roots even though the pronunciation remained closer to the original Old French 'jai'.
- While 'blue jay' is a specific bird in English, if you simply say geai in French, you are using a term that historically encompassed many types of birds, including magpies.
Examples in context
- J'ai vu un geai bleu magnifique dans le parcI saw a magnificent blue jay in the park
- Le geai bleu est l'un des oiseaux les plus emblématiques d'Amérique du Nord.The blue jay is one of the most iconic birds in North America.
- J'ai entendu le cri distinctif d'un geai bleu ce matin !I heard the distinctive call of a blue jay this morning!
- Le geai bleu est très bruyant.The blue jay is very noisy.
- J'ai vu un geai bleu dans le jardin.I saw a blue jay in the garden.
- Ce geai bleu a des plumes magnifiques.This blue jay has magnificent feathers.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are birdwatching in a park.
- HugoRegarde, il y a un geai bleu sur la branche !Look, there is a blue jay on the branch!
- LéaOh, il est magnifique, Hugo.Oh, he is magnificent, Hugo.
- HugoIl est très rapide.He is very fast.
- LéaOui, il vient de s'envoler.Yes, he just flew away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blue jay” translations and entries geai bleu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bleu, geai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
