mental
/mɑ̃.tal/
The English phrase "mental" is translated into French as mental.
In French, mental is an adjective used to describe things relating to the mind or to a person's mental health.
Meaning: relating to the mind (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular is mental, the feminine singular is mentale, the masculine plural is mentaux and the feminine plural is mentales.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɑ̃.tal/
Did you know?
- In sports and high-pressure environments, French speakers often use le mental as a noun to refer to a person's grit or psychological strength. For example, saying someone has a mental d'acier means they have a 'mind of steel'.
- While 'mental' in English is often slang for 'crazy', the French word mental is never used this way. To call someone crazy, a French speaker would use fou or dingue.
- The word mental shares a common ancestor with the English word 'mention', as both stem from the Latin 'mens' meaning 'mind'.
Examples in context
- Claude a dix ans d’âge mental.Claude's mental age is ten.This sentence shows how to describe someone's mental age using mental.Tatoeba #10495568 by pkill, translation #10495570 by Ooneykcall
- J'ai besoin de stimulation mentale.I need some mental stimulation.This sentence uses mentale to describe a need for mental stimulation.Tatoeba #1710291 by sacredceltic, translation #1690405 by Spamster
- Tom est visiblement un malade mental.Tom is obviously a mental case.This sentence uses mental to describe a person's mental health status.Tatoeba #11960560 by zogwarg, translation #3723368 by CM
- Il est important de prendre soin de votre santé mentale .It is important to take care of your mental health.
- La santé mentale est une priorité dans notre société.Mental health is a priority in our society.
- Ne te casse pas la cervelle avec ça.Don't rack your brain over this.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are discussing the stress of their upcoming exams.
- LucasC'est un défi mental intense.It is an intense mental challenge.
- ChloéOui, la fatigue mentale est réelle.Yes, the mental fatigue is real.
- LucasIl faut faire attention à sa santé mentale.One must pay attention to one's mental health.
- ChloéTu as raison, Lucas.You are right, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mental” translations and entries mental, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mental, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
