chewing-gum
/ʃwiŋ.ɡɔm/masculine
In French, gum is chewing-gum.
The term chewing-gum is used to refer to a piece or quantity of chewing gum. Note that the word gomme can also refer to an eraser or a rubber substance, so it should not be used to mean chewing gum.
Meaning: single piece of chewing gum (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The grammatical article used with chewing-gum depends on how you are referring to it: use the partitive article du chewing-gum when referring to gum as an uncountable substance, such as when saying you are chewing some gum. Use the indefinite article un chewing-gum when referring to a single piece or unit of gum. In negative sentences, the partitive article changes to de, as in de chewing-gum.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of chewing-gum is /ʃwiŋ.ɡɔm/ and consists of two syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using gomme to mean chewing gum, as this refers to an eraser or a rubber substance.
Did you know?
- While chewing-gum is the standard term, you may see the word gomme à mâcher on official product packaging in Quebec.
- In French culture, spitting out chewing-gum on the sidewalk is viewed as a significant social faux pas and can lead to fines in some cities.
- In many French-speaking regions, especially in parts of Africa, you might hear people use the word gomme to refer to chewing gum, even though standard European French strictly reserves this for erasers or rubber.
Examples in context
- Je mâchais du chewing-gum.I chewed the gum.This sentence shows the use of the partitive article with chewing-gum.Tatoeba #8598305 by Micsmithel, translation #1555012 by kerbear407
- Marie mâche un chewing-gum.Mary is chewing some gum.This sentence shows the use of the indefinite article for a single unit of chewing-gum.Tatoeba #6777356 by Blabla, translation #6900656 by kaiperkins271
- Ne mâchez pas de chewing-gum en classe.Don't chew gum in class.This sentence shows the use of de with chewing-gum in a negative command.Tatoeba #11145906 by lbdx, translation #10069281 by espamatics
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are walking near a cafe.
- ChloéTu as un chewing-gum ?Do you have a piece of chewing gum?
- HugoOui, j'en ai un dans ma poche.Yes, I have one in my pocket.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu peux m'en donner un ?Can you give me one?
- HugoBien sûr, tiens.Of course, here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gum” translations and entries chewing-gum, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
