anguille
/ɑ̃.ɡij/feminine
The French word for eel is anguille.
anguille refers to any fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes.
Meaning: any fish of the order Anguilliformes (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term Anguille européenne is used specifically to refer to the European eel.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine. This means you must use the feminine article une or use feminine forms for any accompanying adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃.ɡij/
Did you know?
- The French word anguille is a distant relative of the English word 'anguish'. Both stem from a root meaning 'to squeeze' or 'to choke', mirroring the tight, twisting movement of the fish.
- The French term anguille is used in the idiom se tordre comme une anguille, which describes someone who is being evasive or slippery in an argument.
- In some traditional French markets, you might see anguilles sold as anguilles fumées, a delicacy that is treated more like a cured ham than a fresh fish.
Examples in context
- Tom va pêcher l'anguille.Tom will fish for eel.This sentence shows how to use anguille when talking about fishing.Tatoeba #6565437 by felix63, translation #6579417 by Eccles17
- Il y a une anguille dans l'eau.There is an eel in the water.This sentence demonstrates the use of anguille to describe an eel in water.Tatoeba #11243193 by saillier, translation #4457948 by LB
- J'ai dégusté une délicieuse anguille au restaurant ce soir.I tasted a delicious eel at the restaurant tonight.
- une anguilleAn eel
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- ManonEst-ce que tu veux goûter l'anguille ?Do you want to taste the eel?
- HugoNon, je préfère le saumon.No, I prefer the salmon.
- ManonL'anguille semble très bonne ici.The eel looks very good here.
- HugoPeut-être, mais je n'aime pas ça.Maybe, but I don't like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eel” translations and entries anguille, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
