je suis né le
The English phrase "I was born on" is translated into French as je suis né le.
This phrase is used to introduce the specific date of one's birth.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, the past participle must agree with the subject by adding an extra 'e' to the end of 'né', resulting in je suis née le.
Did you know?
- The word né comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁-, which also gave English the words 'kin' and 'genus'.
- When using je suis né le, the gender of the speaker is invisible in pronunciation. Even though you must write je suis née le for a woman to ensure grammatical agreement, both the masculine and feminine forms sound identical.
- The verb suis used to say 'I was born' is actually the same verb used to say 'I am' or 'I follow'. This highlights the unique way French uses the verb 'to be' to express the passive state of birth.
Examples in context
- Je suis né le 4 juin 1974.I was born on June 4, 1974.Tatoeba #7523 by zmoo, translation #252434 by CK
- Je suis né le 31 mai 1940.I was born on the 31st of May in 1940.Tatoeba #685987 by Cocorico, translation #252424 by CN
- Je suis né le 10 octobre 1972.I was born on October 10, 1972.Tatoeba #7526 by Bruno, translation #252433 by CN
- Je suis né(e) le 12 mai.I was born on May 12th.
- Je suis né(e) un samedi.I was born on a Saturday.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are comparing their birth dates.
- ManonJe suis né le 12 mars.I was born on March 12th.
- GabrielVraiment ? Moi, c'est le 15.Really? For me, it's the 15th.
- ManonJe suis né le 12 mars 1995.I was born on March 12, 1995.
- GabrielAh, nous avons presque le même âge !Ah, we are almost the same age!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, le, né, suis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
