poulet
/pu.le/masculine
The English word 'chicken' is translated into French as poulet.
poulet is used to refer to the chicken as food or the meat itself.
Meaning: bird (noun)
Which one should you use?
While poulet refers to the meat or the animal as food, the word poule is used specifically to refer to a hen. Additionally, poulet is more specific than the general term volaille, which refers to poultry in a broader sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
poulet is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/pu.le/
Did you know?
- In French slang, the word poulet is commonly used to refer to a police officer. It is quite different from its literal meaning of a bird.
- A French person might use the expression une poule mouillée to describe someone who is a 'wet hen', which is the equivalent of calling someone a coward.
- French uses the diminutive suffix -et in poulet to literally mean 'little hen'. This distinguishes the young chicken from the adult poule.
Examples in context
- Le poulet est cru.The chicken is raw.This sentence illustrates how to describe the state of the poulet as raw.Tatoeba #4114944 by GB3, translation #4104550 by Hybrid
- Ça goûte le poulet.It tastes like chicken.This sentence shows how to express that something tastes like poulet.Tatoeba #2173400 by sacredceltic, translation #2171159 by Hybrid
- Le poulet est cuit.The chicken is cooked.This sentence demonstrates how to describe the poulet as cooked.Tatoeba #7086904 by felix63, translation #7088595 by Eccles17
- Je vais cuisiner du poulet ce soirI am going to cook some chicken tonight
- Le chef prépare un délicieux plat de volailleThe chef is preparing a delicious poultry dish
- Nous avons acheté du blanc de poulet pour le dînerWe bought chicken breast for dinner
- 103 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- ChloéOn mange du poulet ce soir ?Are we eating chicken tonight?
- LucasOui, je vais cuire le poulet.Yes, I am going to cook the chicken.
- ChloéC'est une bonne idée, Lucas.That is a good idea, Lucas.
- LucasJe prépare tout tout de suite.I will prepare everything right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chicken” translations and entries poulet, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries poulet, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
