fille
/fij/feminine
The English word 'girl' is translated into French as fille. Wiktionary also lists jeune fille and fillette.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fille | /fij/ | feminine |
| jeune fille | /ʒœn fij/ | feminine |
| fillette | /fi.jɛt/ | feminine |
The term is used to refer to a young female person.
Which one should you use?
While fille is the general term for a girl, it can also mean 'daughter' depending on the context. If you want to be more specific, use fillette to refer to a very young girl or jeune fille to refer to a teenager or a young woman. The latter often sounds more descriptive or slightly more formal than just fille.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cajun French, the informal way to say 'girl' is poulette. Conversely, the word garçon is used for a boy in Cajun French.
How does it change in a sentence?
All forms provided are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/fij/
Did you know?
- The Cajun French word poulette for 'girl' is a diminutive of poule, which means 'hen'.
- In certain historical or literary contexts, calling a woman a fille without further description can be an insult. It is a shorthand way of referring to terms like fille de joie, which means 'girl of joy'.
- The term fillette uses the suffix -ette, which in French is often used to indicate that something is smaller or more delicate than the original noun.
Examples in context
- Il vit la fille.He saw the girl.This sentence shows the use of fille in a simple observation.Tatoeba #1778556 by sacredceltic, translation #1766641 by CK
- Où est la fille ?Where is the girl?This sentence shows how to ask for the location of a fille.Tatoeba #3627480 by fleur74, translation #7008017 by Amastan
- Je vois la fille.I see the girl.This sentence shows the use of fille with the verb for seeing.Tatoeba #7204974 by Micsmithel, translation #1875780 by Asma
- La fille que j'ai rencontrée hier est très gentille.The girl I met yesterday is very nice.
- Je suis amoureuse d'une belle fille.I am in love with a beautiful girl.
- Les filles adorent danser.Girls love to dance.
- 835 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are looking at a photo of a child.
- GabrielC'est ta fille sur la photo ?Is that your daughter in the photo?
- ManonOui, c'est ma fille.Yes, that is my daughter.
- GabrielElle est vraiment mignonne.She is really cute.
- ManonMerci, elle est très gentille.Thank you, she is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries fille, jeune fille, fillette, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fille, fillette, jeune, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
