piment
/pi.mɑ̃/masculine
Chili in French is piment.
The word piment is used to refer to the spicy fresh or dried fruit of a capsicum plant.
Meaning: spicy fresh or dried fruit of capsicum (noun)
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse piment with poivre.
How does it change in a sentence?
piment is a masculine noun. To specify that a chili is hot or spicy, place the adjective fort after the noun, as in piment fort.
How do you pronounce it?
/pi.mɑ̃/
Did you know?
- The word piment is a linguistic doublet of the English word 'pigment'. Both originate from the Latin pigmentum, which referred to a coloring agent.
- The piment d'Espelette is a protected specialty from the Basque region that is prized for being aromatic rather than overwhelmingly hot.
- The French word piment once referred to a fragrant, aromatic balsam rather than a spicy pepper.
Examples in context
- Il adore le piment fort.He loves chili.This sentence shows how to express a preference for piment.Tatoeba #12077438 by Amastan, translation #2867067 by Amastan
- Le piment m’a brûlé la langue.The chili burnt my tongue.This sentence describes the sensation of a piment burning the tongue.Tatoeba #8517703 by gillux, translation #38861 by CK
- N'oublie pas d'apporter de la coriandre, des piments et du gingembre.Don't forget to bring coriander, chili peppers, and ginger.This sentence lists piment alongside other ingredients in a grocery context.Tatoeba #8998590 by lbdx, translation #8998593 by shekitten
- J'ai commandé un plat de chili épicé pour le dîner.I ordered a spicy chili dish for dinner.
- Nous avons cuisiné un délicieux chili con carne pour notre fête.We cooked a delicious chili con carne for our party.
- J'aime ajouter du piment dans mes plats pour relever les saveurs.I like to add chili peppers to my dishes to enhance the flavors.
- Où puis-je trouver un bon restaurant de chili mexicain près d'ici ?Where can I find a good Mexican chili restaurant around here?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are preparing a spicy meal in the kitchen.
- LucasTu veux ajouter un piment dans la soupe ?Do you want to add a chili to the soup?
- LéaNon, je préfère ne pas mettre de piment.No, I prefer not to put any chili in.
- LucasLéa, tu n'aimes pas manger épicé ?Léa, you don't like eating spicy food?
- LéaSi, mais je n'aime pas l'odeur du piment.Yes, but I don't like the smell of chili.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chili” translations and entries piment, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piment, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
