mémoire
/me.mwaʁ/
The French word for memoir is mémoire.
In French, the term refers to a book describing the personal experiences of an author.
Meaning: book describing the personal experiences of an author (noun)
Which one should you use?
The singular form mémoire typically refers to the faculty of memory, whereas the plural mémoires refers to the literary genre of memoirs.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a book of personal memoirs, the word is almost always used in the plural form mémoires.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /me.mwaʁ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the singular mémoire to mean a book of memoirs, but in French, the plural mémoires is the standard for the literary work.
Did you know?
- French speakers use mémoire to describe computer RAM, treating digital storage as a form of artificial recollection.
- In an academic setting, a student does not write a 'thesis' but a mémoire, even if the work is a scientific research paper and not a personal story.
- In a courtroom, a mémoire is not a personal narrative but a cold and formal legal brief submitted to a judge.
Examples in context
- Elle a écrit des mémoires impudiques de son aventure avec le président.She penned a tell-all memoir of her affair with the president.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use mémoire when discussing a tell-all memoir.Tatoeba #907234 by sacredceltic, translation #905457 by darinmex
- Les mémoires de cet écrivain français sont très célèbres.The memoirs of this French writer are very famous.
- J'ai lu les mémoires du président français.I have read the memoirs of the French president.
- Le livre rend compte de ses mémoires d'enfance en Afrique.The book recounts his childhood memoirs in Africa.
- J'aime écrire mes souvenirs d'enfance.I enjoy writing my childhood memoirs.
- Elle raconte ses récits de voyage dans son dernier livre.She narrates her travel memoirs in her latest book.
- Il a publié ses mémoires l'année dernière.He published his memoirs last year.
- Ces mémoires racontent sa vie en France.These memoirs recount his life in France.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are discussing books in a cafe.
- GabrielTu as fini de lire ses mémoires ?Have you finished reading his memoirs?
- EmmaOui, c'est un livre passionnant.Yes, it is a fascinating book.
- GabrielEst-ce que ses mémoires sont très longs ?Are his memoirs very long?
- EmmaNon, ils sont assez courts.No, they are quite short.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mémoire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
