cri
/kʁi/masculine
The French word for Cree is cri.
cri is used to refer to the Cree people or the Algonquian language spoken by them.
Meaning: Algonquian language spoken by this people (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
cri is a masculine noun. It can be used to refer to both the language and the ethnic group.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁi/
Did you know?
- While 'cry' and 'cri' share an English and French ancestor meaning 'to shout', the name for the Cree people is actually a shortened version of the village name 'Christenaux'.
- The French word cri for the Cree people is a linguistic coincidence, as it is a homonym of the French word meaning 'a shout' or 'a cry'.
- If you were to use the word cri in a sentence without context, a French speaker would most likely assume you are talking about a loud noise rather than an Algonquian language.
Examples in context
- Sur l'île de Lulu, je connais plusieurs personnes qui ont un héritage cri, un peuple des Premières Nations des Prairies.On Lulu Island, I know several people who have heritage from the Cree, a First Nations people from the Prairies.This sentence shows how to use cri when describing someone's heritage as part of the First Nations people of the Prairies.Tatoeba #10776988 by nonong, translation #10776987 by nonong
- Mon grand-père était un chef cri.My grandfather was a Cree chief.
- Elle étudie la culture cri.She is studying Cree culture.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are discussing languages at a library.
- GabrielLéa, connais-tu quelqu'un qui parle le cri ?Léa, do you know anyone who speaks Cree?
- LéaOui, mon collègue parle le cri couramment.Yes, my colleague speaks Cree fluently.
- GabrielC'est super, j'aimerais beaucoup l'entendre.That's great, I would really like to hear it.
- LéaJe peux vous présenter Gabriel à lui.I can introduce Gabriel to him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cree” translations and entries cri, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cri, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
