humour
The French for humor is humour.
humour means the quality of being amusing or the ability to make people laugh. To say someone has a sense of humor, French uses le sens de l'humour with the verb to have.
Which one should you use?
To describe something or someone as funny in casual speech, French uses Marrant(e).
What mistakes should you avoid?
The French spelling has a u before the r, written humour. Do not drop it as in American English.
Did you know?
- The French word humour is a linguistic boomerang that was borrowed from English after English had already taken it from an earlier form of French.
- Historically, both humour and humeur derive from the Latin word for 'liquid' or 'moisture'. This refers to the ancient medical theory that human temperament was controlled by four bodily fluids.
- While English uses 'humor' for both the quality of being funny and a person's mood, French strictly separates these into humour for laughter and humeur for mood.
Examples in context
- Il a le sens de l'humour.He has a sense of humor.Il a le sens de l'humour. means he has a sense of humor.Tatoeba #4552119 by sacredceltic, translation #293198 by CK
- J'ai le sens de l'humour.I have a sense of humor.J'ai le sens de l'humour. means I have a sense of humor.Tatoeba #11928442 by lbdx, translation #2358813 by CK
- Tu as le sens de l'humour.You've got a sense of humor.Tu as le sens de l'humour. means you've got a sense of humor.Tatoeba #949835 by hirymnak, translation #10016565 by ddnktr
- C'est vraiment marrant !That's really funny!
- Quel sens de l'humour !What a sense of humor!
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a comedian they saw.
- ManonTu as aimé ce spectacle ?Did you like the show?
- LucasOui, son humour est incroyable.Yes, his humor is incredible.
- ManonC'est vrai, il est très drôle.It's true, he is very funny.
- LucasIl a un don pour ça.He has a gift for it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries humour, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
