petite-fille
/pə.tit.fij/feminine
The French word for granddaughter is petite-fille.
The term petite-fille is used to refer to the daughter of someone's child.
Meaning: daughter of someone’s child (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, petites-filles, both parts of the compound noun are pluralized.
How do you pronounce it?
/pə.tit.fij/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly assume petite only refers to physical size, but in this context, it is a fixed part of the word for 'grandchild'.
Did you know?
- In formal genealogy, a 'great-granddaughter' is called arrière-petite-fille, adding the prefix arrière meaning 'behind'.
- While 'granddaughter' in English uses 'grand' to show a generation jump, French uses 'little' to achieve the same meaning.
- French has no single word for 'grandchildren' that is neutral in gender. One must use petits-enfants even if all the grandchildren are girls.
Examples in context
- Ma petite-fille écoute ma femme.My granddaughter is listening to my wife.This sentence shows how to use petite-fille in a sentence about listening.Tatoeba #6794745 by Micsmithel, translation #4554808 by Choctaw_Irish
- La vieille dame sourit à sa petite-fille.The old lady smiled at her granddaughter.This sentence demonstrates a person smiling at their petite-fille.Tatoeba #1810159 by sacredceltic, translation #43322 by CK
- J'ai une petite-fille d'à peu près votre âge.I have a granddaughter about your age.This sentence illustrates describing the approximate age of one's petite-fille.Tatoeba #8286851 by Aiji, translation #2358730 by CK
- Ma petite-fille est très intelligente.My granddaughter is very intelligent.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are looking at a family photo album.
- EmmaC'est ma petite-fille sur cette photo.This is my granddaughter in this photo.
- GabrielElle est vraiment mignonne, Emma.She is really cute, Emma.
- EmmaMerci, ma petite-fille a trois ans.Thank you, my granddaughter is three years old.
- GabrielElle ressemble beaucoup à sa mère.She looks a lot like her mother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “granddaughter” translations and entries petite-fille, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
