petit-enfant
/pə.ti.t‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/masculine
The English word grandchild is translated into French as petit-enfant.
The term petit-enfant refers to the child of one's child.
Meaning: child of one’s child (noun)
Which one should you use?
While petit-enfant is the generic term for a grandchild, you can use more specific terms if you know the gender of the child: petite-fille means granddaughter and petit-fils means grandson.
How does it change in a sentence?
The generic term petit-enfant is masculine. Its plural form is petits-enfants. If you are being specific about gender, the plural of granddaughter is petites-filles and the plural of grandson is petits-fils.
How do you pronounce it?
/pə.ti.t‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ (4 syllables)
Did you know?
- While English uses 'grand' to denote a generation, French uses 'petit' to denote the descending relationship, effectively making the grandchild the 'little child' of the lineage.
- French speakers often use the affectionate term petit-bout or bout de chou when talking about a petit-enfant to emphasize their cuteness.
- The word enfant comes from the Latin 'infans', which literally means 'unable to speak', a trait shared by both children and the infants that become petits-enfants.
Examples in context
- Le vieil homme fut accompagné par son petit-enfant.The old man was accompanied by his grandchild.This sentence is useful for showing the use of petit-enfant in a narrative context.Tatoeba #865024 by sacredceltic, translation #43353 by CK
- Peut-être que mon petit-enfant sera la première personne à poser le pied sur Mars.Maybe my grandchild will be the first person to set foot on Mars.This sentence shows how to use petit-enfant when expressing a future possibility.Tatoeba #819644 by sacredceltic, translation #593655 by darinmex
- Peu avant son cinquantième anniversaire lui parvint la nouvelle de la naissance de son petit-enfant.Shortly before her fiftieth birthday, she received the news about the birth of her grandchild.This sentence illustrates the use of petit-enfant regarding news of a birth.Tatoeba #1186671 by sacredceltic, translation #717966 by papabear
- Je suis très fier de mon petit-fils.I am very proud of my grandson.
- Elle adore passer du temps avec sa petite-fille.She loves spending time with her granddaughter.
- Mon p'tit filsMy grandson
- Ma p'tite filleMy granddaughter
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are looking at a photo album.
- LéaC'est ton petit-enfant ?Is this your grandchild?
- GabrielOui, c'est mon petit-enfant adoré.Yes, he is my beloved grandchild.
- LéaIl est très mignon.He is very cute.
- GabrielMerci, il ressemble beaucoup à son père.Thank you, he looks a lot like his father.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandchild” translations and entries petit-enfant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
