crabe
/kʁab/masculine
The English word "crab" is translated into French as crabe. Wiktionary also lists tourteau.
Meaning: crustacean (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| crabe | /kʁab/ | masculine |
| tourteau | /tuʁ.to/ | masculine |
The word is used to refer to the crustacean in a general sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to crab as food in an uncountable sense, use the partitive article du instead of the indefinite article un.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁab/
Did you know?
- While crabe is general, the specific word tourteau describes the edible brown crab. Its name comes from the word tourte, meaning 'pie', because of the crab's round, dome-like shell.
- Unlike English, where 'crabby' describes a bad mood, French uses different words for irritability, meaning you cannot use crabe to describe a grumpy person.
- The word crabe entered the French language via the Norman dialect, influenced by Old Norse and Middle Dutch.
Examples in context
- Tu préfères le homard ou le crabe ?Do you prefer lobster or crab?This sentence is useful for comparing lobster and crabe.Tatoeba #12465446 by lbdx, translation #3774703 by Hybrid
- Le crabe est un animal qui vit en mer.The crab is an animal that lives at sea.This sentence is useful for describing the habitat of the crabe.Tatoeba #12450698 by lbdx, translation #6031316 by Huskion
- La première personne qui a mangé du crabe a dû aussi essayer de manger une araignée.The first person who ate crab must also have tried to eat a spider.This sentence is useful for using crabe in the context of food.Tatoeba #6629638 by Blabla, translation #6888194 by voxbubnya
- J'ai commandé du crabe au restaurant hier soir.I ordered crab at the restaurant last night.
- Les pinces du crabe bleu sont couvertes d'épines.The blue crab's claws are covered in spikes.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are walking along a beach.
- LéaLucas, regarde ce crabe là-bas !Lucas, look at that crab over there!
- LucasOh, il est très rapide.Oh, it is very fast.
- LéaEst-ce qu'il est dangereux ?Is it dangerous?
- LucasNon, ce crabe ne fera rien.No, this crab won't do anything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crab” translations and entries crabe, tourteau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries crabe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
