excellent
/ɛk.sɛ.lɑ̃/
The English word 'excellent' is translated into French as excellent.
The term is used to describe something of the highest quality.
Meaning: of the highest quality (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: excellent is the masculine singular form, excellente is the feminine singular, excellents is the masculine plural and excellentes is the feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɛk.sɛ.lɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- While excellent is a direct cognate, French speakers often use the slang word top to mean 'excellent' in informal, modern conversation.
- In French, calling a person excellent can sometimes sound overly formal or even slightly patronizing, depending on the context.
- Although 'excellent' is used in French, if you want to sound like a local describing a truly great meal, you might use the word formidable instead.
Examples in context
- C'est un excellent vin.This is excellent wine.This is useful for describing a wine using excellent.Tatoeba #428818 by Archibald, translation #55569 by CK
- Le vin était excellent.The wine was excellent.Tatoeba #2928713 by Blabla, translation #2928721 by CM
- Quelle excellente idée !What an excellent idea!This is useful for expressing enthusiasm for an idea using excellente.Tatoeba #1793919 by sacredceltic, translation #3732139 by CK
- Le spectacle était vraiment magnifique !The show was truly magnificent!
- 126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are eating dinner at a restaurant.
- ManonComment trouves-tu ton plat, Hugo ?How do you find your dish, Hugo?
- HugoIl est vraiment excellent !It is truly excellent!
- ManonJe suis d'accord, le chef est doué.I agree, the chef is gifted.
- HugoC'est un excellent choix de restaurant.It is an excellent choice of restaurant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “excellent” translations and entries excellent, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
