cerf
/sɛʁ/
The French word for deer is cerf.
The term cerf refers to an animal of the family Cervidae. To specify the sex of the animal, you can use un cerf mâle for a male deer and une biche for a female deer.
Meaning: animal of the family Cervidae (noun)
Which one should you use?
While cerf refers to the species or large deer, the word chevreuil is used specifically for roe deer. The plural of chevreuil is chevreuils.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, the word orignal is used to refer to the North American moose.
How does it change in a sentence?
cerf is a masculine noun. The plural form of cerf is cerfs.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The term biche is often used in French as a term of endearment for a woman, similar to 'honey' or 'darling' in English.
- While chevreuil means roe deer, the word contains chevre, which means 'goat', because of the animal's similar appearance.
- In French folklore and heraldry, the cerf is often associated with purity and the hunt, appearing frequently on ancient coats of arms.
Examples in context
- Est-ce un cerf ?Is it a deer?This sentence is useful for asking if an animal is a deer.Tatoeba #1108570 by sacredceltic, translation #1121276 by Scotland
- L'archer tua le cerf.The archer killed the deer.This sentence is useful for describing an archer killing a deer.Tatoeba #3347 by trotter, translation #1531 by CK
- J'ai rencontré un cerf.I ran into a deer.This sentence is useful for stating that you ran into a deer.Tatoeba #1612358 by sacredceltic, translation #1611198 by Spamster
- Alors j'ai vu un chevreuil dans les bois aujourd'hui! C'était vraiment magnifique!So, I saw a deer in the woods today! It was truly magnificent!
- J'ai eu la chance d'observer une biche avec son faon au bord de la rivière.I was lucky to observe a female deer with her fawn at the edge of the river.
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are hiking in the forest.
- ChloéRegarde, un cerf est dans l'herbe !Look, a deer is in the grass!
- GabrielOh, il est magnifique, ce cerf.Oh, that deer is magnificent.
- ChloéIl part vite vers les arbres.He is leaving quickly towards the trees.
- GabrielC'est vrai, il est très sauvage.It's true, he is very wild.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cerf, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
