cercle
/sɛʁkl/masculine
The English word "circle" is translated into French as cercle.
cercle is a masculine noun used in geometry to describe a set of points that are all equidistant from a central point.
Meaning: geometry: set of points that are equally distant from a center (noun)
Which one should you use?
In French, a distinction is made between the boundary and the interior of a shape: cercle refers specifically to the one-dimensional boundary line, while disque is used for the two-dimensional filled-in shape (a disk).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular masculine noun cercle becomes cercles in its plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɛʁkl/
Did you know?
- In French, a 'circle of friends' is called un cercle d'amis, but a 'social circle' is often referred to as un milieu, which literally translates to 'a medium' or 'an environment'.
- In French administrative or formal contexts, le cercle can refer to a private club or a professional association, such as le cercle littéraire for a literary club.
- The word cercle is related to the word cerceau, which means 'hoop', though the two words are used in entirely different contexts in modern French.
Examples in context
- Trace un cercle !Draw a circle.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use the word cercle in an imperative command.Tatoeba #4961590 by sacredceltic, translation #25954 by CK
- Trace un petit cercle.Draw a small circle.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use the word cercle with an adjective.Tatoeba #991552 by sacredceltic, translation #267541 by CK
- Ils formèrent un cercle.They formed a circle.This sentence is useful for seeing how the word cercle is used when describing people forming a shape.Tatoeba #806489 by sacredceltic, translation #1747521 by belgavox
- Un cercle parfaitA perfect circle
- J'ai dessiné un cercle parfait.I drew a perfect circle.
- La circonférence de ce cercle mesure 10 centimètres.The circumference of this circle measures 10 centimeters.
- J'ai besoin d'un petit cercle pour mon projet artistique.I need a small circle for my art project.
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are looking at a drawing in a notebook.
- GabrielCe cercle est parfait.This circle is perfect.
- EmmaMerci, j'ai utilisé un compas.Thanks, I used a compass.
- GabrielEst-ce un cercle complet ?Is it a complete circle?
- EmmaOui, il est tout à fait fermé.Yes, it is completely closed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “circle” translations and entries cercle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
