ciment
/si.mɑ̃/
The English word cement is translated into French as ciment.
ciment refers to a powdered substance.
Meaning: a powdered substance (noun)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between ciment and béton. While ciment refers to the powdered binding agent, béton is the term used for the finished mixture of cement, water and aggregates (concrete).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /si.mɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- In a culinary context, ciment is sometimes used jokingly to describe a sauce or thickener that has failed and turned the food into a hard block.
- French has a specific term, béton armé, for reinforced concrete, which was pioneered by a Frenchman, Joseph Monier, in the 19th century.
- The English word 'cement' and the French ciment share the same Latin ancestor, caementum, which originally referred to 'quarry stone' or 'chips' used to fill gaps.
Examples in context
- Je mange du ciment.I eat cement.This sentence demonstrates the use of ciment.Tatoeba #13451842 by chdarwin, translation #13451844 by chdarwin
- Le ciment était encore frais.The cement was still wet.This sentence uses ciment to describe its state.Tatoeba #11979980 by lbdx, translation #4502868 by CK
- Le ciment est une poudre grise.Cement is a grey powder.This sentence uses ciment to describe its appearance as a grey powder.Tatoeba #11155953 by GuillaumeR, translation #11669915 by tieguy
- Je vais acheter du ciment pour le chantier.I am going to buy cement for the construction site.
- Utilisez du ciment pour fixer les tuiles.Use cement to fix the tiles.
- Ils utilisent du béton à cendres volantes dans ce projet.They are using fly ash concrete in this project.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are at a construction site.
- LucasIl nous faut plus de ciment.We need more cement.
- EmmaLe sac de ciment est dans le camion.The bag of cement is in the truck.
- LucasEst-ce que tu peux l'apporter, Emma ?Can you bring it, Emma?
- EmmaD'accord, je l'apporte tout de suite.Okay, I'll bring it right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cement” translations and entries ciment, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciment, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
