œil
/œj/masculine
The French word for eye is œil.
œil refers to the biological organ. Common idiomatic expressions include avoir l'œil, which means to have a sharp eye or to be attentive and observant and coup d'œil, which refers to a glance or a quick look.
Meaning: organ (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of œil is yeux.
How do you pronounce it?
/œj/
Did you know?
- If you are talking about a 'glance' or a 'quick look', you use the term coup d'œil, which literally translates to 'a blow of the eye'.
- In French culinary terms, the 'eye' of a potato or a seed is called l'œil, referring to the small bud from which a new plant grows.
- French distinguishes between l'œil as the organ and le regard as the act of looking or the expression in someone's eyes.
Examples in context
- Garde-le à l'œil !Keep an eye on him.This sentence shows how to use œil when telling someone to keep watch over a male person.Tatoeba #2185899 by sacredceltic, translation #1418900 by Spamster
- Garde-la à l'œil !Keep an eye on her.This sentence shows how to use œil when telling someone to keep watch over a female person.Tatoeba #2185907 by sacredceltic, translation #2184286 by Hybrid
- J'ai fermé un œil.I closed one eye.This sentence uses œil to describe the action of closing one eye.Tatoeba #10999596 by Lumpawurump, translation #5858549 by CK
- Protégez vos yeux lors de l'exposition au soleilProtect your eyes when exposed to the sun
- Il s'est battu et a fini avec un œil au beurre noirHe got into a fight and ended up with a black eye
- Elle a l'œil pour repérer les erreursShe has an eye for spotting mistakes
- Jette un coup d'œil à ce tableauTake a quick look at this painting
- 189 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are looking at a photo.
- LéaIl a un œil bleu.He has a blue eye.
- LucasC'est vrai, son œil est magnifique.It's true, his eye is magnificent.
- LéaEt l'autre œil est vert.And the other eye is green.
- LucasIl a des yeux de couleurs différentes.He has eyes of different colors.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eye” translations and entries œil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
