gentil
/ʒɑ̃.ti/
The French word gentil means kind or nice.
gentil is used to describe someone as kind or nice. Note that while it describes a pleasant quality, it is often used when speaking to children or can sometimes sound patronizing, in the sense of calling someone "sweet" or "good." For describing a person's pleasant personality in adults, the word sympathique is more common.
Which one should you use?
While gentil and its forms mean kind or nice, it carries a connotation of being "sweet" or "good" that may be used for children. In contrast, if you want to describe an adult's pleasant personality, it is better to use sympathique. Additionally, the word Chouette can also be used to describe someone as cool, pleasant or kind.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender and number of the person being described: gentil is the masculine singular form, gentille is the feminine singular, gentils is the masculine plural and gentilles is the feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒɑ̃.ti/
Did you know?
- Calling an adult trop gentil can be a veiled criticism, implying they are too naive or a 'pushover' who lets others take advantage of them.
- The word gentil originally had nothing to do with being 'sweet' or 'kind'. It comes from the Latin 'gentilis', referring to someone belonging to the same 'clan' or 'tribe'.
- In historical French, gentil was used to describe the nobility or those of 'gentle' birth. This is the same root found in the English word 'gentleman'.
Examples in context
- Il est tellement gentil, ce gars-là!He is so nice, that guy!
- Il est vraiment très gentil.He is really very kind.
- C'est un garçon gentil.He is a kind boy.
- Sois gentil avec elle.Be kind to her.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking about a new coworker.
- NathanTon nouveau collègue est gentil ?Is your new colleague kind?
- ChloéOui, il est très gentil avec tout le monde.Yes, he is very kind to everyone.
- NathanC'est super d'avoir quelqu'un de gentil.It is great to have someone kind.
- ChloéAbsolument, l'ambiance est meilleure.Absolutely, the atmosphere is better.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gentil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gentil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
