joyeux
/ʒwa.jø/
The English phrase "jolly" is translated into French as joyeux.
joyeux is used to describe someone or something that is feeling or expressing great happiness and cheerfulness. For more specific nuances, you might use enjoué(e) to mean lively or playful or festif(-ive) to describe something that is festive or joyful. If you want to say someone is really cheerful, you can say vraiment gai(e) or if you want to emphasize the intensity, très joyeux(se) means very jolly. To describe a state of being in a good mood or having high energy, you can use the idiom avoir la pêche or the phrase avoir le cœur léger to describe having a light heart and a carefree state of mind.
Which one should you use?
While joyeux is the standard term for jolly, you might choose different words based on the tone. For example, the informal rigolo(te) specifically means funny or amusing and super rigolo(te) means super funny. For a more formal tone, enjoué(e) (lively/playful) and festif(-ive) (festive/joyful) are appropriate choices.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes to match the gender and number of the noun it describes: use joyeux for masculine singular, joyeuse for feminine singular, joyeux for masculine plural and joyeuses for feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒwa.jø/
When do people say it?
The word is part of the standard French greeting for the holiday season: Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas).
Did you know?
- Although joyeux is used for 'Merry Christmas', French speakers rarely use it for 'Happy Birthday', opting instead for bon anniversaire using the word 'bon' meaning 'good'.
- While joyeux describes the feeling of being jolly, the idiom avoir la pêche is used to describe someone who is behaving in a very jolly, high-energy way.
- While joyeux means jolly, the related word joie is used in the expression joie de vivre, which English speakers often use to describe a zest for life that transcends simple happiness.
Examples in context
- T'es un joyeux drille.You're a jolly good feller.This sentence shows how to use joyeux in the expression for a jolly good fellow.Tatoeba #1582269 by sacredceltic, translation #1573413 by Spamster
- Tom est un vieil homme joyeux.Tom is a jolly old man.This sentence shows how to use joyeux to describe a jolly old man.Tatoeba #10549333 by Rovo, translation #10548316 by shekitten
- La soirée était très gaie.The evening was very jolly.
- Elle est toujours enjouée, peu importe la situation.She is always jolly, no matter the situation.
- L'atmosphère était si festive que tout le monde était de bonne humeur.The atmosphere was so jolly that everyone was in a good mood.
- Tu es vraiment rigolo !You are really jolly!
- Mon grand-père est un homme rieur.My grandfather is a jolly man.
- Lorsqu'elle danse, elle a le cœur léger.When she dances, she is jolly.
- Il est de bonne humeur et très joyeux.He is in a good mood and very jolly.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing a friend's personality.
- LucasEst-ce que ton nouveau voisin est sympa ?Is your new neighbor nice?
- ManonOui, il est vraiment joyeux tout le temps.Yes, he is really jolly all the time.
- LucasC'est agréable d'avoir quelqu'un comme ça.It is pleasant to have someone like that.
- ManonC'est vrai, il apporte de la joie.It's true, he brings joy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry joyeux, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
