Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| livre | /livʁ/ | masculine |
| bouquin | /bu.kɛ̃/ | masculine |
The term refers to a collection of sheets of paper bound together containing printed or written material. Note that if you want to express the action of "booking" or reserving something, such as a hotel or a table, you should use the verb réserver instead of a noun form of livre.
Which one should you use?
While livre is the standard word for book, bouquin is a common informal or colloquial term used in everyday speech. For more formal contexts, such as referring to textbooks, publications or specific works, you may use ouvrage or volume.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun livre is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/livʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be aware that livre is also the French word for the "pound" (both the unit of weight and the currency), so context is necessary to distinguish it from "book".
Did you know?
- If you use the word bouquin in a historical context, it may have originally referred to the 'mouthpiece of a hunting horn' rather than a book.
Examples in context
- Il a un livre.He has a book.This sentence is useful for showing possession of a livre.Tatoeba #4488633 by VisionElf, translation #303788 by CK
- Lis ce livre !Read this book!This sentence is a command to read a specific livre.Tatoeba #5233980 by sicerabibax, translation #2634388 by shekitten
- Lis un livre !Read a book!This sentence is a command to read any livre.Tatoeba #5244673 by sicerabibax, translation #2651124 by shekitten
- J'ai lu un livre intéressantI read an interesting book
- J'ai acheté un nouvel ouvrage sur l'histoire de l'artI bought a new book on art history
- Je vous recommande ce volume de la collectionI recommend this book from the collection
- J'adore ce bouquin, tu devrais le lireI love this book, you should read it
- Ce livre est génialThis book is awesome
- J'ai emprunté un livre à la bibliothèque.I borrowed a book from the library.
- Tu devrais lire cet ouvrage , il est très instructif.You should read this book, it's very informative.
- Ce volume est le troisième de la série.This book is the third volume in the series.
- J'ai trouvé un vieux bouquin dans le grenier.I found an old book in the attic.
- Je suis tombé amoureux de ce bouquin , c'est incroyable.I fell in love with this book, it's incredible.
- Viens, on va lire un livre ensemble.Come on, let's read a book together.
- 2276 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are in a library.
- GabrielEst-ce que ce livre est intéressant ?Is this book interesting?
- ChloéOui, c'est un très bon livre.Yes, it is a very good book.
- GabrielJe vais emprunter ce livre.I am going to borrow this book.
- ChloéBonne lecture, Gabriel !Happy reading, Gabriel!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “book” translations and entries livre, bouquin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bouquin, livre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
