heureux
/œ.ʁø/
The French word heureux means happy.
Depending on the context, heureux can mean both 'happy' (emotional state) and 'lucky' (fortunate circumstances). You may also see the informal expression Heureux(se) comme un poisson dans l'eau, which is used to describe someone who is extremely happy and at ease.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form heureux is identical to the masculine plural form. The feminine form of the adjective is heureuse, and the feminine plural form is heureuses.
How do you pronounce it?
/œ.ʁø/ (2 syllables)
Did you know?
- The word heureux shares a root with the word heure, which means 'hour'. In Old French, both words stemmed from the idea of a 'favorable time' or 'lucky moment'.
- In French, the phrase bonheur meaning 'happiness' is a compound of bon (good) and heur (luck), suggesting that happiness is essentially 'good luck'.
- To describe someone who is 'unhappy', French speakers rarely use a prefix with heureux and instead use the word malheureux, which literally means 'bad luck'.
Examples in context
- Je suis content(e) de te revoir.I am happy to see you again.
- Il est heureux.He is happy.
- Elle est heureuse.She is happy.
- Je suis vraiment heureux(se) pour toi !I am really happy for you!
- Il est rayonnant de joie.He is radiant with joy.
- Je suis très heureux de vous voir.I am very happy to see you.
- Il semble très heureux dans son nouveau travail.He seems very happy in his new job.
- Nous sommes heureux de partager ce moment.We are happy to share this moment.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are meeting at a cafe.
- NathanSalut Chloé, je suis heureux de te retrouver.Hi Chloé, I am happy to see you again.
- ChloéMoi aussi, Nathan, tu as l'air en forme !Me too, Nathan, you look great!
- NathanOui, je suis vraiment heureux ces derniers temps.Yes, I am really happy lately.
- ChloéC'est génial d'entendre ça !That is great to hear!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry heureux, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
