fort
/fɔːʁ/
The French word for loud is fort.
The word fort is used to describe the volume of a sound. It is also used to mean 'strong' in terms of physical strength or intensity. To describe someone shouting or yelling, you might use the verb crier. If you want to describe a sound that is extremely loud or deafening, you can use the formal term assourdissant(e).
Meaning: of a sound (adj)
Which one should you use?
In French, fort serves a dual purpose as it can mean both 'loud' regarding volume and 'strong' regarding power or physical force.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an adjective to modify a feminine noun, fort becomes forte. However, when you are describing how someone speaks or how a sound is produced (acting as an adverb), you should use the form fort regardless of the person's gender.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɔːʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use bruyant when you actually mean a specific sound is loud. bruyant translates to 'noisy' rather than 'loud'.
When do people say it?
To express that something is extremely loud, you can use the simile Bruyant comme un marteau-piqueur, which means 'loud as a jackhammer'.
Did you know?
- In a musical context, the instruction fort is used globally, meaning French music terminology dictates how 'loud' musicians play across many languages.
- In some contexts, fort can mean 'very' when used as an adverb, such as fort probable, which translates to 'very probable'.
- If you say a coffee is fort, you are not talking about its volume, but rather its intense strength or concentration.
Examples in context
- Tom parle très fort.Tom talks very loud.This sentence shows how to use fort to describe the volume of someone's speech.Tatoeba #6820819 by Rockaround, translation #6662018 by CK
- Elle parle trop fort.She's too loud.This sentence illustrates using fort to indicate someone is speaking with excessive volume.Tatoeba #1679146 by sacredceltic, translation #1676732 by Spamster
- Je t'entends fort bien.I can hear you loud and clear.This sentence uses fort in the idiom for hearing someone 'loud and clear'.Tatoeba #2590615 by sacredceltic, translation #2301249 by CK
- La salle était bruyante pendant la réunion.The room was loud during the meeting.
- La musique dans cette boîte de nuit est très forte.The music in this nightclub is very loud.
- Sa voix était sonore et a captivé l'audience.His voice was loud and captivated the audience.
- Le vacarme des klaxons dans cette rue était assourdissant.The honking noise in this street was deafening.
- Le voisin a mis sa musique à fond, c'était bruyant comme un marteau-piqueur.The neighbor turned up their music, it was loud as a jackhammer.
- On a fait la fête toute la nuit avec de la musique à fond les ballons.We partied all night with loud music.
- Il a crié si fort que tout le monde l'a entendu.He shouted so loudly that everyone heard him.
- 60 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are in a library.
- LucasLe bruit est trop fort ici.The noise is too loud here.
- EmmaOui, on ne peut pas se concentrer.Yes, we can't concentrate.
- LucasEst-ce que je parle trop fort ?Am I speaking too loudly?
- EmmaNon, Lucas, tu es calme.No, Lucas, you are quiet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “loud” translations and entries fort, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
