Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| aîné | /ɛ.ne/ /e.ne/ |
masculine |
| personne âgée | /pɛʁ.sɔ.n‿a.ʒe/ /pɛʁ.sɔ.n‿ɑ.ʒe/ |
feminine |
The term aîné is used when referring to someone who is greater than another in age or seniority, such as a sibling. When used with a definite article, such as l'aîné, it means 'the eldest' among a group of children or siblings. Alternatively, personne âgée is used to refer to the general category of elderly people in society.
Which one should you use?
Use aîné or aînée to mean 'elder' in the context of birth order, such as an elder brother or sister. Use personne âgée when you are talking about old people in a general sense.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
personne âgée is the standard, polite way to refer to an old person. In religious contexts, the word Vénérable may be used to refer to elders or higher ranking individuals.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form aîné becomes aînée when referring to a female elder or an elder sister.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛ.ne/
Did you know?
- When referring to the elderly in a very formal or administrative context, French documents often use the phrase le troisième âge, meaning 'the third age'.
- The word personne for 'person' comes from the Latin 'persona', which originally referred to the masks worn by actors in antiquity.
- In French legal history, the concept of aînesse (primogeniture) gave the aîné exclusive rights to inherit the family estate and title.
Examples in context
- Sa fille aînée est mariée.Her elder daughter is married.This sentence is useful for using the adjective form aîné.Tatoeba #1174499 by sacredceltic, translation #309610 by Dejo
- Mais ma sœur aînée sait parfaitement bien nager.But my elder sister can swim perfectly well.Tatoeba #1184983 by sacredceltic, translation #1185332 by bart
- C'est ma sœur aînée.She is my elder sister.Tatoeba #136044 by minti, translation #314333 by Alkrasnov
- Il est mon aîné.He is my elder.
- Les aînés sont souvent respectés dans notre culture.Elders are often respected in our culture.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are discussing who should lead the family meeting.
- ChloéOn devrait demander l'avis d'un aîné.We should ask an elder's opinion.
- NathanC'est une bonne idée, Nathan.That is a good idea, Nathan.
- ChloéL'aîné de la famille a beaucoup d'expérience.The elder of the family has a lot of experience.
- NathanJe suis d'accord avec toi, Chloé.I agree with you, Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elder” translations and entries aîné, personne âgée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aîné, personne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
