onzième
/ɔ̃.zjɛm/
The English word eleventh is expressed in French as onzième. Wiktionary also lists onze.
Meaning: ordinal form of eleven (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| onzième | /ɔ̃.zjɛm/ |
| onze | /ɔ̃z/ |
The word onzième is the ordinal form used to indicate a position in a sequence, such as the eleventh position in a list or one of eleven equal parts of a whole. It can function as both an adjective and a noun.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the cardinal and ordinal numbers. Use onze to say the number eleven, while use onzième to say eleventh.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of two syllables, pronounced /ɔ̃.zjɛm/.
Did you know?
- In historical French legal contexts, the onzième was sometimes used to refer to a specific type of tax or tithe involving an eleventh part of a sum.
- The Latin root 'undecim' of onze is actually a combination of 'unus' for 'one' and 'decem' for 'ten', which is the structural logic behind the number eleven.
- If you are referring to the eleventh of a month in a date, you do not use the ordinal onzième, but rather the cardinal onze, unlike the English 'the eleventh of May'.
Examples in context
- Le onze septembre est mon anniversaire.September eleventh is my birthday.This sentence shows the use of onze for the number eleven in a date.Tatoeba #12669644 by Orange, translation #12669647 by Orange
- Si Dieu avait ordonné un onzième commandement, je me demande ce que ça aurait été.If God had given an eleventh commandment, I wonder what it would have been.This sentence demonstrates the use of onzième to describe an eleventh commandment.Tatoeba #811128 by sacredceltic, translation #652506 by darinmex
- Janvier est le premier mois de l'année, avril le quatrième, novembre le onzième, décembre le douzième.January is the first month of the year, April is the fourth, November is the eleventh, December is the twelfth.This sentence illustrates the use of onzième when ordering months in a year.Tatoeba #5068954 by martin9, translation #1750141 by djtait
- Je suis le onzième invité à arriver.I am the eleventh guest to arrive.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are talking about their apartment building.
- LéaJ'habite au onzième étage.I live on the eleventh floor.
- LucasC'est très haut, Léa !That's very high, Léa!
- LéaOui, mais la vue est superbe.Yes, but the view is superb.
- LucasJe préfère le deuxième étage.I prefer the second floor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eleventh” translations and entries onzième, onze, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries onze, onzième, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
