lave
/lav/feminine
The French word for lava is lave.
lave refers to molten rock.
Meaning: molten rock (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
lave is a feminine noun. Because of this, it is preceded by the feminine article la, as in la lave.
How do you pronounce it?
/lav/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add an 'a' at the end of the word. In French, it is spelled lave.
Did you know?
- In French, laver meaning 'to wash' comes from the Latin lavare, which is the same root as the English word 'lavatory'.
- The word lave is also a verb form of laver, meaning 'to wash'. In the sentence je lave la voiture, the word lave means 'wash' instead of 'lava'.
- Because lave is a homonym, French speakers might use the phrase laver la lave to jokingly describe cleaning volcanic rock.
Examples in context
- La lave se solidifie.Lava hardens.This sentence shows how lave hardens.Tatoeba #9941145 by Micsmithel, translation #9725794 by DJ_Saidez
- Le volcan crache de la lave.The volcano is spewing lava.This sentence describes a volcano spewing lave.Tatoeba #8313120 by Julien_PDC, translation #12504570 by ddnktr
- Les lampes à lave sont géniales.Lava lamps are awesome.This sentence mentions lava lamps using lave.Tatoeba #2173695 by sacredceltic, translation #2171078 by Hybrid
- Les coulées de lave sont les manifestations les plus visibles de l'activité volcanique.Lava flows are the most visible manifestations of volcanic activity.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are watching a documentary about volcanoes.
- NathanRegarde la lave qui coule.Look at the lava flowing.
- ManonC'est impressionnant, mais terrifiant.It's impressive, but terrifying.
- NathanLa lave est très chaude.The lava is very hot.
- ManonOui, elle est brûlante.Yes, it is scalding.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lava” translations and entries lave, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
