cheveux longs
The English phrase "long hair" is translated into French as cheveux longs.
This phrase is used to describe hair on the head that has grown to a significant length. In French, adjectives typically follow the noun they describe, which is why the word for long, longs, comes after the word for hair, cheveux.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective longs must agree in both gender and number with the noun it describes. Since cheveux is a masculine plural noun, you must use the masculine plural form longs. When describing a person's hair as a characteristic, it is more common to use the definite article les (avoir les cheveux longs) rather than the indefinite article des.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the singular form cheveu long. Because the hair on a person's head is treated as a collection of many individual strands, you must use the plural cheveux longs.
Did you know?
- While cheveux refers to the hair on your head, French uses a completely different word, poils, for any other 'long hair' on the body, such as on arms or legs.
- In French, if someone is described as having 'long hair' and it is exceptionally thick, you might hear the term crinière, which literally means 'mane' as if describing a horse or a lion.
- If you want to say someone has 'long hair' in a poetic or literary sense, you might use the word chevelure instead of cheveux. This term implies a more flowing, voluminous, or even magical mane of hair.
Examples in context
- J'ai les cheveux longs.I've got long hair.This sentence is useful for saying "I've got long hair" using cheveux longs.Tatoeba #11675494 by Aiji, translation #5166507 by CK
- Elle a les cheveux longs.She has long hair.This sentence is useful for saying "She has long hair" using cheveux longs.Tatoeba #526278 by Micsmithel, translation #315861 by CK
- Elle a des cheveux longs.She has got long hair.Tatoeba #1033619 by dominiko, translation #526281 by sundown
- Elle a de beaux cheveux longsShe has beautiful long hair
- Ses cheveux sont longs et au naturelHer hair is long and natural
- Elle possède une magnifique chevelure longueShe has a magnificent long mane of hair
- Elle a de longs cheveux bouclésShe has long curly hair
- Elle a des cheveux qui tombent jusqu'à la tailleShe has hair that falls down to her waist
- Les filles aux tignasses sont magnifiquesGirls with long untamed hair are beautiful
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are talking about a new haircut.
- HugoTu veux garder tes cheveux longs ?Do you want to keep your long hair?
- ManonNon, je vais les couper demain.No, I am going to cut them tomorrow.
- HugoC'est dommage, j'aime les cheveux longs.That's a pity, I like long hair.
- ManonMerci Hugo, mais c'est trop chaud.Thanks Hugo, but it's too hot.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
