aubergine
/o.bɛʁ.ʒin/feminine
The French word for eggplant is aubergine.
The term aubergine refers to the edible fruit of the eggplant plant.
Meaning: edible fruit (noun)
Which one should you use?
While eggplant is the standard term in American English, aubergine is the standard term in French and is also commonly used in British English.
How does it change in a sentence?
aubergine is a feminine noun. When using the definite article for the plural form, les aubergines, you use les and the noun ends in s.
How do you pronounce it?
/o.bɛʁ.ʒin/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, aubergine is not only the name of the vegetable but also the name of a specific deep purple color.
- The French word aubergine traveled through several languages, moving from Sanskrit to Persian and Arabic before entering French via Catalan.
- Unlike the English word 'eggplant', which describes the appearance of certain varieties, aubergine does not reference eggs at all.
Examples in context
- Ni Tom ni Marie n'aiment vraiment les aubergines.Neither Tom nor Mary likes eggplant very much.This sentence shows how to express a lack of preference for aubergine using the plural.Tatoeba #7346661 by Micsmithel, translation #4873169 by Objectivesea
- J'aime l'aubergine.I like eggplant.This sentence demonstrates a simple expression of liking aubergine.Tatoeba #7368179 by tras, translation #7156338 by Kiwi
- L'aubergine est amère.The eggplant is bitter.This sentence describes a characteristic of aubergine.Tatoeba #7372245 by tras, translation #6573837 by Eccles17
- Je vais acheter une aubergine pour le dîner ce soir.I am going to buy an eggplant for dinner tonight.
- Le chef a utilisé des aubergines fraîches pour préparer le plat.The chef used fresh eggplants to prepare the dish.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are grocery shopping together.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu veux une aubergine, Hugo ?Do you want an eggplant, Hugo?
- HugoOui, je cherche une aubergine bien fraîche.Yes, I am looking for a very fresh eggplant.
- ChloéRegarde, celle-ci est parfaite pour toi.Look, this one is perfect for you.
- HugoMerci, elle est très belle.Thanks, it is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eggplant” translations and entries aubergine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aubergine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
