bon film
The English phrase "good movie" is translated into French as bon film.
This phrase is used to describe a motion picture that is of high quality or enjoyable to watch. While you can say un film qui est bon, the more natural and direct way to express this is by using the phrase un bon film.
Which one should you use?
bon film is the standard way to describe the quality of a movie. In contrast, un film divertissant specifically means "an entertaining film".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the expression un maudit bon film is used to express a strong positive sentiment, translating to "a damn good movie".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bon typically precedes the noun film in French. If you are talking about multiple movies, you must make both the adjective and the noun plural by adding an 's', resulting in bons films. Note that while film is a masculine noun, if you were to replace it with a feminine noun, the adjective would change from bon to bonne.
Did you know?
- To describe a movie as incredibly good, casual French uses the slang une tuerie, which literally translates to 'a killing'.
- When describing a movie as 'perfect' or 'spotless' in a colloquial way, you might hear someone say the film is nickel.
- The word film was actually borrowed directly from English, making it a linguistic import rather than a word with ancient French roots.
Examples in context
- C'est un bon film.It's a good movie.Tatoeba #655252 by Snout, translation #5222651 by AlanF_US
- C'était un bon film.It was a good movie.Tatoeba #7243038 by Aiji, translation #3393230 by CK
- C'était un très bon film.It was a very good movie.Tatoeba #12856689 by lbdx, translation #9013858 by CK
- J'ai regardé un bon film ce soir.I watched a good movie tonight.
- Le dernier film de ce réalisateur est une excellente réalisation.The latest film by this director is an excellent piece of filmmaking.
- C'était un superbe film avec une histoire captivante.It was a superb movie with a captivating plot.
- On est allés voir un chouette film hier soir.We went to see a cool movie last night.
- Ce film était génial, j'ai adoré !This movie was awesome, I loved it!
- Le nouveau film de ce réalisateur, il est vraiment tip-top !The new movie by this director is really excellent!
- C't'un maudit bon film, ça!That's a damn good movie!
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are leaving a cinema.
- HugoAlors, tu as aimé ?So, did you like it?
- EmmaOui, c'est vraiment un bon film !Yes, it's really a good movie!
- HugoJe suis d'accord, je l'ai adoré.I agree, I loved it.
- EmmaC'est le meilleur bon film de l'année.It's the best good movie of the year.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, film, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
