mourant
/mu.ʁɑ̃/
The English word 'dying' is translated into French as mourant.
mourant is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is approaching death.
Meaning: approaching death (adj)
Which one should you use?
mourant is an adjective that describes a state. If you want to emphasize the continuous, ongoing action of the process of dying, you should use the verbal phrase en train de mourir.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, mourant must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use mourante for feminine singular nouns, mourants for masculine plural nouns and mourantes for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables: /mu.ʁɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- French uses the verb s'éteindre (to extinguish oneself) as a common, poetic euphemism for 'dying' to avoid the bluntness of mourir.
- While mourant describes the state of being near death, the phrase être à l'agonie is specifically used to describe the physical, often painful, struggle of the final moments.
- In French, the phrase un souffle mourant describes a 'dying breath' and was a central motif in the works of French Romanticism to evoke melancholy.
Examples in context
- Le chien est mourant.The dog is dying.This sentence shows how to use mourant to describe a dog.Tatoeba #545836 by Snout, translation #48251 by CK
- Le chien était mourant.The dog was dying.This sentence shows the past tense usage of mourant for a dog.Tatoeba #1430722 by martin9, translation #48252 by CK
- L'industrie du charbon est mourante.Coal is a dying industry.This sentence shows the figurative use of mourant to describe an industry.Tatoeba #6919713 by Rockaround, translation #6606356 by Hybrid
- Il meurtHe is dying
- Le patient est passé de vie à trépas ce matin.The patient passed away this morning.
- Il crève d'envie d'y allerHe's dying to go there
- On va tous crever un jourWe're all gonna die someday
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are talking about a very old animal in a sanctuary.
- ChloéRegarde ce vieux lion, il a l'air mourant.Look at that old lion, he looks like he's dying.
- HugoC'est vrai, il ne bouge plus du tout.It's true, he isn't moving at all anymore.
- ChloéC'est triste de voir un animal mourant ainsi.It's sad to see a dying animal like this.
- HugoOui, mais il est en paix maintenant.Yes, but he is at peace now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dying” translations and entries mourant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
