gris
/ɡʁi/
The French word for gray is gris.
gris is an adjective used to describe a color situated between white and black, much like the color of cinders. It can also function as a noun to refer to the color itself.
Meaning: of a color somewhere between white and black, like cinders (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is gris, and the masculine plural form is also gris. For feminine nouns, use the feminine singular form grise or the feminine plural form grises.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡʁi/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse the adjective with the verb griser, which means to intoxicate or make someone feel giddy.
Did you know?
- In French, a gris-gris amulet is actually a loanword from West African cultures, though it sounds identical to the word for 'gray'.
- The word gris descends from the Frankish word *grīs, meaning it entered the French language via Germanic influence rather than Latin.
- The phrase être gris can be used as slang to mean being drunk, which relates to the verb griser meaning to intoxicate.
Examples in context
- Ce bâtiment gris ?That gray building?This sentence uses gris to identify a specific building.Tatoeba #335916 by sysko, translation #68501 by rul
- Mon habit est gris.I'm wearing gray.This sentence uses gris to describe the color of an item of clothing.Tatoeba #1978575 by nimfeo, translation #13443168 by rul
- Le ciel était gris.The sky was gray.This sentence uses gris to describe the color of the sky.Tatoeba #2347702 by sacredceltic, translation #2549275 by CK
- 49 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are looking at paint samples for a room.
- LéaTu préfères le blanc ou le gris ?Do you prefer white or gray?
- HugoJe pense que le gris est plus moderne.I think gray is more modern.
- LéaC'est vrai, mais c'est un peu triste.That's true, but it's a bit sad.
- HugoOn peut ajouter des coussins colorés alors.We can add some colorful cushions then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gray” translations and entries gris, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gris, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
