je suis né
The English phrase "I was born" is translated into French as je suis né.
A phrase used to state the date or place of one's birth.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I am born" because French uses the auxiliary verb être (to be) rather than avoir (to have) for this expression.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, the past participle must take an extra e at the end: je suis née.
Did you know?
- Because French treats being born as a change of state, it uses the same auxiliary verb être for je suis né as it does for movements like 'going' or 'falling'.
- The word né shares a common ancestor with the English word 'native', as both trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁- which relates to birth and production.
- The French word né is a cognate of the Spanish word nacido, as both derive from the Latin 'nātus'.
Examples in context
- Je suis né là.I was born there.This sentence shows how to state the place where you were born using je suis né.Tatoeba #1246591 by sacredceltic, translation #1211854 by CM
- Je suis né ici.I was born here.Tatoeba #4579565 by sacredceltic, translation #1887918 by CK
- Je suis né en 1972.I was born in 1972.This sentence shows how to state the year you were born using je suis né.Tatoeba #688909 by sysko, translation #689018 by bferrant
- Je suis né le 10 mars 1990 à ParisI was born on March 10th, 1990, in Paris
- Je suis né dans la région de Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurI was born in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
- Je suis né à Marseille.I was born in Marseille.
- Je suis née à Lyon.I was born in Lyon.
- Je suis né le 5 avril 1988 à Nantes .I was born on April 5th, 1988, in Nantes.
- Je suis née le 15 septembre 1995 à Bordeaux .I was born on September 15th, 1995, in Bordeaux.
- Je suis né dans la région de Bretagne .I was born in the region of Brittany.
- 191 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their origins at a cafe.
- EmmaOù est-ce que tu es né, Hugo ?Where were you born, Hugo?
- HugoJe suis né à Lyon.I was born in Lyon.
- EmmaMoi, je suis née à Paris.As for me, I was born in Paris.
- HugoC'est une très belle ville.It is a very beautiful city.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, né, suis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
