lot
/lo/
The French word lot can mean 'lot' when referring to a number of people taken collectively.
In an informal sense, lot can refer to a collective group of people. It is often used in the phrase lot commun to describe a shared fate or a collective portion. You may also encounter the idiom son lot, which means 'its share' or 'its fair share' of something such as work, luck or trouble. If you want to say 'a lot' or 'quite a bit' in an informal way, you should use the phrase pas mal instead of lot.
Meaning: informal: a number of people taken collectively (noun)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/lo/
Did you know?
- The word beaucoup, often used to mean 'a lot', is actually a contraction of the historical phrase beau coup, meaning 'a fine blow'.
- The French lot is a direct cousin of the English 'lot', both descending from a Proto-Germanic word meaning 'something cast' or 'drawn'.
- In modern French, lot is far more likely to describe a prize won in a lottery or a batch of items at an auction than a group of people.
Examples in context
- Certaines années, au même titre que certains poètes, certains politiciens et certaines belles femmes, se distinguent par une renommée qui va bien au-delà du lot commun, et 1929 fut clairement une telle année.Some years, like some poets, and politicians and some lovely women, are singled out for fame far beyond the common lot, and 1929 was clearly such a year.This sentence illustrates the use of lot in the context of a shared fate or 'common lot'.Tatoeba #8249965 by Micsmithel, translation #6287101 by Hybrid
- Chaque printemps apporte son lot.Every spring brings its lot.This sentence shows the idiomatic use of 'son lot' to mean a share of something brought by a season.Tatoeba #7068828 by AmarMecheri, translation #7068862 by AmarMecheri
- J'ai beaucoup de travail à faire cette semaine.I have a lot of work to do this week.
- Nous avons dépensé énormément d'argent pour cette nouvelle maison.We spent a lot of money on this new house.
- J'ai beaucoup aimé ce film !I liked this movie a lot!
- J'ai mangé pas mal de bonbons pendant Halloween.I ate a lot of candies during Halloween.
- Il y a un tas de personnes à la fête ce soir !There are a lot of people at the party tonight!
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are at a crowded party.
- GabrielIl y a vraiment un sacré lot ici !There is really quite a crowd here!
- LéaOui, on ne voit plus le sol.Yes, we can't even see the floor anymore.
- GabrielJe vais essayer de sortir du lot.I'm going to try to get out of the crowd.
- LéaJe te suis, Gabriel !I'm following you, Gabriel!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lot, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lot, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
