sciences humaines
feminine, plural
The English phrase 'humanities' is translated into French as sciences humaines.
The term refers to academic disciplines such as language, literature and other studies focused on human culture. Note that while English speakers often distinguish between the humanities and the social sciences, the French term sciences humaines is used to cover both fields.
Meaning: language, literature, etc. (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, sciences humaines translates to 'human sciences'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the phrase is plural, it is almost always used with the definite article les when referring to the field of study as a whole.
Did you know?
- The word science in sciences humaines does not imply a laboratory or the scientific method, but rather any systematic body of knowledge.
- In a French university, you might see a student majoring in philosophie listed under the umbrella of sciences humaines rather than under the arts.
- Unlike English, where 'the humanities' is a broad umbrella, French speakers often use the specific term lettres to refer to the core of the humanities, such as classics and philosophy.
Examples in context
- L'enseignement des sciences humaines laisse fortement à désirer au Chili.The teaching of humanities in Chile leaves much to be desired.This sentence is useful for discussing the quality of humanities education in a specific country.Tatoeba #1330970 by Scott, translation #1131323 by marcelostockle
- Les sciences humaines sont essentielles pour comprendre l'évolution de la société.The humanities are essential to understanding the evolution of society.
- J'ai toujours préféré les matières littéraires aux sciences.I've always preferred humanities to sciences.
- Les lettres sont un domaine qui me passionne depuis toujours.Humanities have always been a field that fascinates me.
- Elle étudie les sciences humaines à l'université.She studies the humanities at the university.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing their university subjects at a cafe.
- HugoTu préfères les mathématiques ou les sciences humaines ?Do you prefer mathematics or the humanities?
- EmmaJe préfère largement les sciences humaines.I much prefer the humanities.
- HugoC'est vrai, c'est un domaine très riche.True, it is a very rich field.
- EmmaOui, j'aime beaucoup lire pour mes cours.Yes, I love reading for my classes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “humanities” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
