poisson-chat
/pwa.sɔ̃.ʃa/masculine
The English phrase 'catfish' is translated into French as poisson-chat or silure.
Meaning: type of fish (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| poisson-chat | /pwa.sɔ̃.ʃa/ | masculine |
| silure | /si.lyʁ/ | masculine |
Poisson-chat is a general term used for any type of catfish. Silure is a more specific term used to refer to the European catfish (also known as the wels catfish).
What does it mean word for word?
The term poisson-chat is a compound of poisson (fish) and chat (cat).
Which one should you use?
While poisson-chat can describe any catfish, silure specifically refers to the Wels catfish, which is the most common large species found in Europe.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of the compound noun poisson-chat, both parts of the word take an 's', resulting in poissons-chats.
How do you pronounce it?
/pwa.sɔ̃.ʃa/
Did you know?
- While English uses 'catfish' as a verb for online deception, French speakers typically use the English term 'catfishing' or describe the act as usurpation d'identité.
- The silure is so legendary in French folklore for its massive size that it is often depicted as a monster capable of swallowing small animals or humans.
- If you are fishing in a French river and catch a giant, you might call it a monstre de Loire rather than just a silure.
Examples in context
- Le poisson-chat attrape une poule.The catfish catches a chicken.This sentence is useful for seeing the subject poisson-chat in an action.Tatoeba #12657525 by Orange, translation #12657526 by Orange
- Le poisson-chat vole.The catfish steals.Tatoeba #12657523 by Orange, translation #12657538 by Orange
- Le poisson-chat miaule.The catfish meows.Tatoeba #12657540 by Orange, translation #12657541 by Orange
- J'ai attrapé un énorme poisson-chat aujourd'hui lors de ma pêche.I caught a huge catfish today while fishing.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are at a seafood market.
- ManonEst-ce que ce poisson-chat est frais ?Is this catfish fresh?
- GabrielOui, il vient d'arriver ce matin.Yes, it arrived this morning.
- ManonJe vais prendre ce poisson-chat.I will take this catfish.
- GabrielTrès bien, je vous le prépare.Very well, I will prepare it for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “catfish” translations and entries poisson-chat, silure, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
