jazz
/dʒaz/masculine
The French word for jazz is jazz.
jazz refers to the musical art form. When you want to be more specific or formal, you can use phrases like La musique jazz (jazz music), Le style jazz (jazz style) or Le genre jazz.
Meaning: musical art form (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun jazz is masculine. When used in a general sense or as a direct object, it is almost always preceded by a definite article, such as le jazz. If you are expressing that you play the genre, use the partitive article du (a contraction of de and le) instead of the indefinite article un, as in jouer du jazz.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʒaz/
What mistakes should you avoid?
When saying that you play jazz, do not use the indefinite article un. Instead, use the partitive article du to say jouer du jazz.
Did you know?
- During the 1930s, some French critics tried to replace the English word jazz with the term le jazzisme to describe the cultural movement and artistic influence of the genre.
- The term 'jazband' was an early French-adopted compound that helped solidify the word's presence in the French lexicon during the early 20th century.
- French listeners often use the word swing as a standalone noun or adjective to describe the feeling of jazz music, treating it as a technical term for the rhythmic drive.
Examples in context
- Il aime le jazz.He likes jazz.This sentence is useful for showing how to use jazz as a direct object with the definite article.Tatoeba #3634425 by sacredceltic, translation #2851591 by Amastan
- Je joue du jazz.I play jazz.This sentence demonstrates the correct use of the partitive article when expressing that one plays jazz.Tatoeba #9623752 by Julien_PDC, translation #13120440 by CM
- Ils aiment le jazz.They like jazz.This sentence shows how the verb agrees with a plural subject when discussing a preference for jazz.Tatoeba #3634437 by sacredceltic, translation #2851601 by Amastan
- C'est vraiment jazzy !That's very jazzy!
- Mon voisin est un excellent jazzmanMy neighbor is an excellent jazz musician
- Hier soir, j'ai écouté un super concert de jazz. C'était vraiment jazzy !Last night, I listened to an amazing jazz concert. It was really jazzy!
- Le jazz est un genre musical unique qui a émergé aux États-Unis au début du 20e siècle.Jazz is a unique music genre that emerged in the United States in the early 20th century.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are discussing their taste in music.
- NathanEst-ce que tu aimes le jazz ?Do you like jazz?
- EmmaOui, j'adore le jazz.Yes, I love jazz.
- NathanOn peut aller voir un concert de jazz ?Can we go see a jazz concert?
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée, Nathan !That is a great idea, Nathan!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jazz” translations and entries jazz, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jazz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
