pré
/pʁe/masculine
The English word meadow is translated into French as pré or prairie.
Meaning: field or pasture (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pré | /pʁe/ | masculine |
| prairie | /pʁɛ.ʁi/ /pʁe.ʁi/ |
feminine |
Both words refer to a field or pasture.
Which one should you use?
The term pré typically refers to a smaller, more specific meadow or a field used for grazing or haymaking. In contrast, prairie typically refers to a much larger expanse of grassland or a vast prairie.
How do you pronounce it?
/pʁe/
Did you know?
- The word prairie was borrowed back into English from French to describe the vast grasslands of North America, making the English word 'prairie' a direct loanword from French.
- If you are talking about a mountain meadow in the Alps, a French speaker might use the word alpage instead of pré.
- The suffix in prairie, '-erie', is a common way in French to turn a noun into a place or a state of being, similar to how 'bakery' is a place for bread.
Examples in context
- Les vaches paissent dans le pré.Cows are eating grass in the meadow.This example shows how to describe cows eating grass in the pré.Tatoeba #9243 by sacredceltic, translation #19510 by CK
- Le chien noir court dans le pré.The black dog is running in the meadow.This sentence uses pré to describe a dog running in a meadow.Tatoeba #4954009 by martin9, translation #11671479 by tieguy
- Les vaches broutent dans le pré.Cows are grazing in the meadow.This sentence is useful for describing cows grazing in the pré.Tatoeba #8450273 by Aiji, translation #5258216 by AlanF_US
- J'adore prendre une couverture de pique-nique et apprécier la beauté du préI love taking a picnic blanket and enjoying the beauty of the meadow
- Je me suis promené dans un beau préI walked through a beautiful meadow
- Le vent a doucement caressé le pré, créant une atmosphère sereine que je n'oublierai jamais.The wind softly caressed the meadow, creating a serene atmosphere that I will never forget.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are walking through the countryside.
- ManonRegarde ce beau pré, Hugo.Look at this beautiful meadow, Hugo.
- HugoOui, le pré est magnifique aujourd'hui.Yes, the meadow is magnificent today.
- ManonOn peut s'asseoir dans l'herbe ?Can we sit in the grass?
- HugoBien sûr, profitons de la nature.Of course, let's enjoy nature.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meadow” translations and entries pré, prairie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
