décimales
The French phrase for 'decimals' is décimales.
décimales refers to the digits that appear to the right of the decimal point in a number. In everyday conversation, French speakers often refer to these as chiffres après la virgule (digits after the comma).
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of this noun is décimale.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use a period to separate decimals in French. However, in French, a comma (called a virgule) is used instead of a point.
Did you know?
- The word virgule comes from the Latin 'virgula', meaning 'little twig', reflecting the shape of the mark used to separate décimales.
- Because the decimal separator is a comma, French speakers use a non-breaking space to separate thousands, rather than a comma or a point.
- When reading a decimal aloud, a French speaker will often say 'virgule' where an English speaker would say 'point', such as 'deux virgule cinq' for '2.5'.
Examples in context
- zéro virgule vingt-cinq0.25
- deux virgule soixante-quinze2.75
- dix virgule dix10.10
- cent virgule quatre-vingt-dix-neuf100.99
- Il y a deux décimales ici.There are two decimals here.
- Vérifiez bien toutes les décimales.Check all the decimals carefully.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are checking a scientific measurement.
- ManonHugo, combien de décimales faut-il ?Hugo, how many decimals are needed?
- HugoIl nous faut trois décimales.We need three decimals.
- ManonD'accord, je note les décimales.Okay, I am writing down the decimals.
- HugoC'est parfait, Manon.It's perfect, Manon.
