pont
/pɔ̃/
The French word for a deck of playing cards is pont.
In French, the word pont refers to the deck of a ship or a bridge. When talking about a deck of cards, you can use the term les cartes or un jeu de cartes.
Meaning: pack of playing cards (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 'pont' can mean a deck (as in a ship), 'jeu de cartes' is the standard way to say a pack of playing cards.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɔ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use pont to mean a pack of cards because of the English word 'deck', but in French, pont refers to a ship's deck or a bridge.
Did you know?
- The word pont is used in the phrase faire le pont, which means to take a long weekend by taking a day off between a public holiday and a weekend.
- In French, the word for a deck of cards, jeu, literally translates to 'game'. This suggests that the cards themselves are viewed as the potential for play rather than just a physical stack.
- The word pont shares a root with the English word 'pontoon', referring to a floating bridge.
Examples in context
- Je me trouve sur le pont.I'm on the deck.This sentence shows how to say you are on the deck.Tatoeba #9534051 by sacredceltic, translation #5397183 by AlanF_US
- Les marins ont récuré le pont.The sailors scrubbed the deck.This sentence illustrates the action of sailors scrubbing the deck.Tatoeba #12658552 by lbdx, translation #8411449 by Hybrid
- Les marins dansaient sur le pont.The sailors were dancing on deck.This sentence describes sailors dancing on the deck.Tatoeba #4956870 by sacredceltic, translation #2672403 by Hybrid
- Sur le pont supérieur du bateauOn the top deck of the ship
- La plateforme d'observationThe observation deck
- une terrasse de piscineSwimming pool deck
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are getting ready to play a card game.
- LéaOù est le pont de cartes ?Where is the deck of cards?
- LucasIl est sur la table, Léa.It is on the table, Léa.
- LéaJe vais mélanger le pont.I am going to shuffle the deck.
- LucasD'accord, distribue les cartes ensuite.Okay, deal the cards after that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pont, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pont, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
