hippo
The French word for hippo is hippo.
This term refers to a large, thick-skinned semiaquatic mammal from Africa. When referring to multiple types, you use espèces d'hippopotames and a baby of the species is called a bébé hippopotame.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hippo is an informal shortening of the full word hippopotame.
Did you know?
- The full word hippopotame is borrowed from the Ancient Greek hippopotamos, meaning 'river horse'.
- In French slang, comparing someone's appetite to that of an hippopotame is a way to describe an insatiable hunger.
- In French, because hippopotame is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine article le or un. This remains true even if you are describing a female animal.
Examples in context
- Un hippopotame heureux nage dans le lac.A happy hippo is swimming in the lake.This sentence shows the use of hippo in a simple descriptive context.Tatoeba #11504852 by carlosalberto, translation #11504847 by carlosalberto
- J'ai récemment visité un zoo et j'ai pu voir un hippopotame !I recently visited a zoo and I got to see a hippo!
- Je suis allé me promener au zoo hier et j'ai vu des hippos, c'était incroyable !I went for a walk in the zoo yesterday and I saw some hippos, it was amazing!
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are visiting a zoo.
- EmmaRegarde, Lucas ! Le hippo dort.Look, Lucas! The hippo is sleeping.
- LucasIl est vraiment énorme, non ?He is really huge, isn't he?
- EmmaOui, c'est le plus gros hippo ici.Yes, he is the biggest hippo here.
- LucasC'est impressionnant.It's impressive.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
