Terre
/tɛʁ/feminine
The English phrase "earth" as the third planet of the Solar System is translated into French as Terre.
When you are referring to the planet, the word is used as a feminine noun. The related form terre in lowercase refers to any general rock-based material, such as soil, ground or dirt.
Meaning: third planet of the Solar System (name)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the capitalized and lowercase forms. Terre with a capital T refers to the planet, while the lowercase terre refers to the ground or soil.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the planet, Terre is a feminine noun and is almost always preceded by the definite article la, forming la Terre.
How do you pronounce it?
/tɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The word terre shares its ancient roots with the English word 'dry', stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *ters- which implies a lack of moisture.
- In French, the term terre is used in electronics to describe the grounding of a circuit, which is why a ground wire is called une prise de terre.
- The expression mettre les pieds sur terre literally means 'to put one's feet on the ground' and is used to tell someone to be realistic.
Examples in context
- La Terre est ronde.The earth is round.This sentence is useful for describing the shape of Terre.Tatoeba #831548 by sacredceltic, translation #277121 by CK
- La Terre est plate.The earth is flat.Tatoeba #3469052 by Lulantis, translation #6011146 by mailohilohi
- La Terre est belle.The earth is beautiful.This sentence is useful for describing the beauty of Terre.Tatoeba #12416828 by zogwarg, translation #8910130 by shekitten
- 323 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are looking at a science book in a library.
- EmmaLa Terre est très grande.The Earth is very large.
- NathanOui, elle est immense.Yes, it is immense.
- EmmaEst-ce que la Terre tourne vite ?Does the Earth spin fast?
- NathanOui, elle tourne très vite.Yes, it spins very fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “earth” translations and entries Terre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries terre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
