petit-fils
/pə.ti.fis/masculine
The English phrase grandson is translated into French as petit-fils.
petit-fils is a masculine noun used to refer to the son of one's child.
Meaning: son of one's child (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term literally translates to little son, where petit means small or little and fils means son.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural for grandsons, you add an 's' to the first part of the word to make it petits-fils.
How do you pronounce it?
/pə.ti.fis/
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which uses 'grand' for both 'grandson' and 'grandfather', French uses petit for the grandson and grand for the grand-père.
- The word fils is an example of a French spelling oddity where the final 's' is pronounced as 's' instead of being silent, which is unusual for final consonants in French.
- In French, a 'great-grandson' is called an arrière-petit-fils. The prefix arrière literally means 'behind' or 'back'.
Examples in context
- J'ai un petit-fils à Boston.I have a grandson in Boston.This sentence is useful for stating that you have a petit-fils in a specific location.Tatoeba #6929932 by Rockaround, translation #6665579 by CK
- Mon petit-fils est encore un bébé.My grandson is still a baby.This sentence is useful for describing a petit-fils who is still a baby.Tatoeba #6843485 by Aiji, translation #814624 by brauliobezerra
- Mon arrière-petit-fils a huit ans.My great-grandson is eight years old.This sentence shows the use of the term when referring to a great-grandson.Tatoeba #8358882 by felix63, translation #10923776 by ddnktr
- Mon petit-fils est un artiste talentueux.My grandson is a talented artist.
- J'ai rencontré mon petit-fils hier soir lors de la réunion familiale.I met my grandson last night during the family gathering.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are talking about their family during a coffee break.
- GabrielTu as des nouvelles de ton petit-fils ?Have you any news about your grandson?
- ManonOui, mon petit-fils vient de commencer l'école.Yes, my grandson just started school.
- GabrielC'est merveilleux pour lui.That is wonderful for him.
- ManonIl est très courageux.He is very brave.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandson” translations and entries petit-fils, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
