majeur et mineur
The English phrase "major and minor" is translated into French as majeur et mineur.
In a musical context, this phrase is used to describe major and minor keys, scales or chords. Individually, the word majeur can refer to someone being of legal age, while mineur can refer to a minor.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjectives must match the gender and number of the nouns they describe. If you are describing feminine nouns, such as gamme (scale), use the feminine forms majeure et mineure. If you are describing masculine plural nouns, such as accords (chords), use the masculine plural forms majeurs et mineurs.
Did you know?
- The word mineur is a perfect homonym in French, describing both a person under the legal age and a person who works in a mine.
- The word majeur is a doublet of the word maire, meaning the French word for 'mayor' shares the same ancestral root as 'major'.
- In French legal terminology, a teenager can be declared majeur before their eighteenth birthday through a process called émancipation.
Examples in context
- une décision majeureA major decision
- un problème majeurA major problem
- une différence mineureA minor difference
- un rôle mineurA minor role
- des décisions majeuresMajor decisions
- des problèmes mineursMinor problems
- Je suis majeurI am of legal age
- Il est encore mineurHe is still a minor
- la tonalité de Do majeurThe key of C major
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are discussing a music composition.
- LucasEst-ce que tu préfères le majeur et mineur ?Do you prefer major and minor?
- ChloéJe trouve que le mineur est plus triste.I find that minor is sadder.
- LucasC'est vrai, mais le majeur est joyeux.That's true, but major is joyful.
- ChloéUtilisons les deux pour cette chanson, Lucas.Let's use both for this song, Lucas.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, majeur, mineur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
