description
/dɛs.kʁip.sjɔ̃/feminine
The English phrase "description" is translated into French as description.
The word description refers to an account in words.
Meaning: account in words (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun description is feminine. This means you should use the indefinite article une (une description) or the definite article la (la description).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /dɛs.kʁip.sjɔ̃/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because the word looks identical to the English word, English speakers often mistakenly use the masculine article un. Remember that it must be feminine and use une or la.
Did you know?
- If you are describing a suspect to the police, you would not typically use the word description but would instead use the word signalement.
- While English uses 'description' for many things, French writers may use portrait specifically to describe a person's character or physical appearance in a literary context.
- French literary critics use the term la pause descriptive to describe a moment when a description effectively stops the clock of the story's plot.
Examples in context
- Voici une brève description.Here is a brief description.This sentence is useful for providing a short description.Tatoeba #4714385 by sacredceltic, translation #4665808 by CK
- Je n'ai pas vu la description.I haven't seen the description.This sentence is useful for stating that you have not seen the description.Tatoeba #8548080 by Aiji, translation #3880345 by AlanF_US
- Le paysage défiait la description.The scenery was beyond description.This sentence is useful for describing something that was beyond description.Tatoeba #4714376 by sacredceltic, translation #48575 by CM
- Le guide touristique a donné une description détaillée de la cathédrale.The tour guide provided a detailed description of the cathedral.
- L'exposé a inclus une description minutieuse du processus de fabrication.The presentation included a meticulous description of the manufacturing process.
- Nous avons besoin des éléments descriptifs pour analyser le problème en profondeur.We need the descriptive elements to analyze the problem in depth.
- Je vais décrire la maison que j'ai visitée hier soir.I'm going to describe the house I visited last night.
- J'ai raconté le film à mes amis.I told my friends about the movie.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are looking at a real estate listing online.
- EmmaLa description de cet appartement est très courte.The description of this apartment is very short.
- HugoC'est vrai, elle manque de détails.It's true, it lacks details.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu as lu la description complète ?Did you read the full description?
- HugoNon, je l'ai trouvée trop peu claire.No, I found it too unclear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “description” translations and entries description, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
