bavard
/ba.vaʁ/
The English phrase "gabby" is translated into French as bavard.
The adjective bavard is used to describe someone who is inclined to talk too much, particularly about trivial or unimportant matters.
Meaning: inclined to talk too much, especially about trivia (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes to match the gender and number of the person being described: bavarde is the feminine form, bavards is the masculine plural form and bavardes is the feminine plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of two syllables and is pronounced /ba.vaʁ/.
Did you know?
- The word bavard is built from bave, meaning 'spittle'. This suggests that a gabby person talks so much that they literally spray saliva on their listener.
- While bavard is common, a French speaker might use moulin à paroles to describe a very gabby person. This literally translates to 'speech mill', comparing the person to a machine that never stops grinding.
- The suffix -ard used in bavard often creates words with a negative or pejorative connotation in French. It turns a simple action into a character flaw or an exaggeration.
Examples in context
- Salut, Gaby! On se retrouve au café?Hey, Gabby! Shall we meet at the café?
- Il est très bavard.He is very talkative.
- Elle est très bavarde.She is very talkative.
- Ma voisine est un peu bavarde.My neighbor is a bit talkative.
- Ne sois pas si bavard pendant le film.Don't be so talkative during the movie.
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are talking about a new colleague.
- NathanEst-ce que le nouveau collègue est sympa ?Is the new colleague nice?
- LéaOui, mais il est un peu trop bavard.Yes, but he is a bit too gabby.
- NathanIl parle de quoi d'habitude ?What does he usually talk about?
- LéaSurtout de choses inutiles toute la journée.Mostly useless things all day long.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bavard, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bavard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
