gens
/ʒɑ̃/
The French word gens means people.
gens is used to mean people.
How does it change in a sentence?
gens is a masculine plural noun, so adjectives and verbs following it must be in the masculine plural form, such as in les gens sont.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒɑ̃/
Did you know?
- Although gens is grammatically masculine, it can sometimes trigger feminine adjective agreement if it is preceded by a feminine adjective like bonnes.
- English speakers might notice a distant relative in the word 'gentle', which shares roots with the idea of belonging to a certain class of people.
- The word gens derives from the Latin gentem, which originally referred to a clan or a tribe rather than just a collection of humans.
Examples in context
- Il y a beaucoup de gens ici.There are many people here.
- Les gens sont très gentils.People are very kind.
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are at a crowded party.
- NathanRegarde tous ces gens, Manon !Look at all these people, Manon!
- ManonOui, je ne connais personne ici.Yes, I don't know anyone here.
- NathanOn peut aller parler aux gens là-bas.We can go talk to the people over there.
- ManonD'accord, allons-y.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gens, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gens, CC BY-SA 4.0.
