gerbille
/ʒɛʁ.bij/feminine
The English word "gerbil" is gerbille in French.
gerbille refers to the small rodent known as a gerbil.
Meaning: small rodent (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun gerbille is feminine. Because of this, you use the feminine indefinite article une when saying "a gerbil" (une gerbille) instead of the masculine article un.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /ʒɛʁ.bij/.
Did you know?
- In French culture, the gerbille is sometimes grouped with the hamster and cochon d'Inde (guinea pig) as part of the NAC category, which stands for nouveaux animaux de compagnie.
- Because gerbille is feminine, describing a male gerbil still requires the feminine adjective, such as une gerbille rousse for a red gerbil.
- While English has separate words for 'gerbil' and 'jird', French often uses gerbille to describe both types of rodents.
Examples in context
- J'ai récemment adopté une gerbille. Elle est très mignonne!I recently adopted a gerbil. She is very cute!
- Ma gerbille est très rapide.My gerbil is very fast.
- La gerbille dort dans sa cage.The gerbil is sleeping in its cage.
- J'ai acheté une petite gerbille blanche.I bought a small white gerbil.
- Cette gerbille est très mignonne.This gerbil is very cute.
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are looking at a pet in a shop window.
- HugoRegarde cette jolie gerbille, Emma !Look at that pretty gerbil, Emma!
- EmmaElle est vraiment adorable.She is truly adorable.
- HugoTu veux l'adopter ?Do you want to adopt her?
- EmmaOui, je l'adore déjà !Yes, I love her already!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gerbil” translations and entries gerbille, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
