courageux
/ku.ʁa.ʒø/
The English word courageous is translated into French as courageux.
The adjective is used to describe an action that requires courage.
Meaning: of an action, that requires courage (adj)
Which one should you use?
The term brave is also used in French to express the concept of being brave or courageous.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular is courageux and the masculine plural remains courageux. For feminine subjects, use the singular form courageuse and the plural form courageuses.
How do you pronounce it?
/ku.ʁa.ʒø/ (3 syllables)
Did you know?
- While courageux means courageous, the French word brave often describes someone who is simply kind, well-meaning or even a bit naive. Using brave to mean courageous can sometimes sound outdated or overly heroic in modern conversation.
- French has a specific idiom prendre son courage à deux mains, which literally means to take one's courage in both hands to face a difficult task.
- If you want to describe a person with 'heart' or 'spirit', you might use the root of courageux, which comes from the Latin 'cor', meaning 'heart'.
Examples in context
- Vous êtes très courageux.You are very courageous.This sentence is useful for showing how to address someone directly using courageux.Tatoeba #470086 by sacredceltic, translation #588005 by leyla
- Je pense que Tom est courageux.I think Tom is courageous.This sentence is useful for expressing an opinion about someone using courageux.Tatoeba #5723867 by Aiji, translation #3171938 by CK
- Choisir de se battre avec elle, c'est courageux.To pick a fight with her, that's courageous.This sentence is useful for describing a specific action as being courageux.Tatoeba #7809616 by Aiji, translation #1989811 by AlanF_US
- Son comportement durant la crise a été très courageux.His behavior during the crisis was very courageous.
- Les pompiers ont accompli un travail vaillant lors de l'incendie.The firefighters did courageous work during the fire.
- Elle a fait preuve d'un courage admirable face à l'adversité.She showed admirable courage in the face of adversity.
- T'es vraiment courageuse d'avoir sauté en parachute !You're really brave for skydiving!
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are discussing a friend's decision to quit their job.
- GabrielC'est un choix très courageux de sa part.It is a very courageous choice on his part.
- ManonOui, je n'aurais jamais osé faire ça.Yes, I would never have dared to do that.
- GabrielIl faut être courageux pour tout recommencer.You have to be courageous to start all over again.
- ManonC'est vrai, j'admire vraiment son audace.That's true, I really admire his boldness.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry courageux, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries courageux, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
