lampadaire
/lɑ̃.pa.dɛʁ/masculine
The English word lamppost is translated into French as lampadaire or réverbère.
Meaning: pole that holds up a light (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lampadaire | /lɑ̃.pa.dɛʁ/ | masculine |
| réverbère | /ʁe.vɛʁ.bɛʁ/ | masculine |
Both terms refer to a pole that holds up a light.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both réverbère and lampadaire are masculine nouns. The plural forms are réverbères and lampadaires respectively.
How do you pronounce it?
lampadaire is pronounced /lɑ̃.pa.dɛʁ/ and has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- Because lampadaire is also a floor lamp, a French speaker asking for a lampadaire in a furniture store would be perfectly understood.
- The root of lampadaire is related to the Greek word lampas, which referred to a torch long before electric light existed.
- Historically, the réverbère was a specific type of gas lamp designed to reflect light downwards more efficiently using a curved mirror.
Examples in context
- Tom était debout seul à côté du réverbère.Tom stood by himself next to the lamppost.This sentence shows the use of réverbère.Tatoeba #6776155 by Caku, translation #3023351 by CK
- Il a percuté un lampadaire avec la voiture.He ran the car into a lamppost.This sentence shows the use of lampadaire.Tatoeba #9706796 by lbdx, translation #299060 by CK
- Elle a percuté un lampadaire avec sa voiture.She crashed her car into a lamppost.Tatoeba #9706793 by lbdx, translation #7384783 by CH
- La nuit, les réverbères illuminent les rues de Paris.At night, lampposts light up the streets of Paris.
- Les lampadaires modernes sont équipés de systèmes d'éclairage LED.Modern lampposts are equipped with LED lighting systems.
- J'ai posé mon sac contre le réverbère avant de partir.I leaned my bag against the lamppost before leaving.
- Asseyons-nous près du lampadaire et discutons.Let's sit next to the lamppost and chat.
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are walking home in the dark.
- ChloéLe lampadaire est cassé ici.The lamppost is broken here.
- GabrielC'est vrai, on ne voit rien.It's true, we can't see anything.
- ChloéRegarde, il y a un autre lampadaire plus loin.Look, there is another lamppost further away.
- GabrielAllons vers la lumière alors.Let's go towards the light then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lamppost” translations and entries lampadaire, réverbère, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
