les cheveux
les cheveux is the French phrase for hair.
les cheveux refers to the hair growing on a person's head.
Which one should you use?
While les cheveux refers to the hair on one's head collectively, le cheveu refers to a single individual strand of hair. Additionally, you should use les cheveux for hair on the head, but use les poils for hair on the rest of the body, such as arms or legs or for animal fur.
How does it change in a sentence?
cheveux is a masculine plural noun.
Did you know?
- The expression avoir un cheveu sur la soupe literally means 'to have a hair in the soup' and is used when someone ruins a surprise or an argument by mentioning a detail too early.
- The phrase au poil uses the word for body hair to mean 'perfectly' or 'just right', such as saying a plan is au poil.
- In French literature, the term la chevelure is often used instead of les cheveux to provide a more poetic, voluminous, or flowing description of a person's hair.
Examples in context
- Pendant le dîner formel, elle portait une coiffure élégante pour montrer ses magnifiques cheveux.During the formal dinner, she wore an elegant hairstyle to showcase her beautiful hair.
- Tes cheveux sont incroyables, tu as de la chance d'avoir une telle chevelure !Your hair is amazing, you're lucky to have such great hair!
- Elle a les cheveux longs.She has long hair.
- Elle a les cheveux très longs.She has very long hair.
- Je n'aime pas les cheveux gras.I don't like greasy hair.
- Il veut couper les cheveux de son fils.He wants to cut his son's hair.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are at a hair salon.
- ManonNathan, tu aimes les cheveux de cette cliente ?Nathan, do you like this customer's hair?
- NathanOui, les cheveux sont magnifiques.Yes, the hair is magnificent.
- ManonElle a une couleur de cheveux incroyable.She has an incredible hair color.
- NathanC'est vrai, elle est très élégante.It's true, she is very elegant.
