Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| grand-père | /ɡʁɑ̃.pɛʁ/ | masculine |
| aïeul | /a.jœl/ | masculine |
The term grand-père is the standard way to refer to a grandfather from either side of a family. In more formal or literary contexts, you may encounter the term aïeul, which often carries the sense of an ancestor or forebear.
Which one should you use?
While grand-père refers to a specific individual in your family, aïeul is more frequently used to describe ancestors or lineage in a broader, more formal sense.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For everyday, affectionate use, you can use the informal term papi or the endearing and familiar term Pépé. In contrast, grand-père is the standard noun and aïeul is reserved for formal or literary writing.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of grand-père, you add an 's' to both parts of the word to create grands-pères.
How do you pronounce it?
The word grand-père has two syllables and is pronounced /ɡʁɑ̃.pɛʁ/.
When do people say it?
When speaking affectionately to or about a grandfather in a casual setting, French speakers often use the terms papi or Pépé instead of the standard grand-père.
Did you know?
- French has no separate words for maternal and paternal grandfathers, unlike languages such as Chinese or Korean that use different terms for each side.
- If you were to talk about your 'great-grandfather' in French, you would simply add 'arrière' to the front, creating arrière-grand-père.
- In French, the word pépé is a 'reduplicative' term, a common linguistic pattern used to create affectionate nicknames for grandparents like mamie.
Examples in context
- Où est ton grand-père ?Where's your grandfather?This sentence uses grand-père to ask about someone's grandfather.Tatoeba #7465601 by tras, translation #7464054 by CK
- Où est mon grand-père ?Where's my grandfather?This sentence uses grand-père to ask about the speaker's own grandfather.Tatoeba #7982830 by Aiji, translation #2645628 by CK
- Il adore son grand-père.He adores his grandfather.This sentence uses grand-père to express affection for a grandfather.Tatoeba #132824 by dominiko, translation #300796 by CK
- Bonjour, grand-père. Comment allez-vous aujourd'hui?Hello, grandfather. How are you today?
- Cher pépé, je voulais te souhaiter un joyeux anniversaire.Dear grandpa, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.
- Salut, papi! Tu viens jouer avec moi?Hi, grandpa! Do you want to play with me?
- Regarde, papou, j'ai dessiné une maison pour toi!Look, grandpa, I drew a house for you!
- L'aïeul nous a raconté de merveilleuses histoires de son enfance.The grandfather told us wonderful stories about his childhood.
- 209 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are looking at old family photos.
- NathanQui est cet homme sur la photo ?Who is this man in the photo?
- EmmaC'est mon grand-père quand il était jeune.That is my grandfather when he was young.
- NathanIl a l'air très gentil.He looks very kind.
- EmmaOui, mon grand-père est adorable.Yes, my grandfather is lovely.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations and entries grand-père, aïeul, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
