d'âge mûr
The English phrase 'middle aged' is translated into French as d'âge mûr.
The phrase is used to describe a person who is in the period of life between youth and old age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition de (contracted to d'), the noun âge (age) and the adjective mûr (mature).
Which one should you use?
While d'âge mûr is the standard way to describe this life stage, using the adjective mûr alone (for example, un homme mûr) can sometimes imply emotional or intellectual maturity rather than just chronological age.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase d'âge mûr is invariable in gender and number, meaning it does not change whether describing a man, a woman or a group of people.
Did you know?
- The word mûr is used to describe both a person's age and the ripeness of fruit. This means a person d'âge mûr is literally described as being 'ripe'.
- While d'âge mûr is polite, using the word milieu to create a literal translation like d'âge moyen can sound like a clinical or statistical description of a population.
- The word mûr is a direct linguistic 'doublet' of the English word 'mature', meaning they both share the same Latin ancestor mātūrus.
Examples in context
- Le président est déjà dans la quarantaine.The president is already middle-aged.
- Ils sont dans la cinquantaine.They are in their fifties.
- Elle a la quarantaine.She is around forty.
- Ma mère est une femme d'âge moyen très active.My mother is a very active middle-aged woman.
- Nous envisageons d'organiser une soirée pour les personnes entre deux âges.We are considering organizing a party for middle-aged individuals.
- Il est d'âge mûr maintenant.He is middle aged now.
- C'est un homme d'âge mûr.He is a middle aged man.
- Elle cherche un homme d'âge mûr.She is looking for a middle aged man.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing a potential new teacher.
- LucasQui est le nouveau professeur ?Who is the new teacher?
- ManonC'est un homme d'âge mûr très calme.He is a very calm middle-aged man.
- LucasEst-ce qu'il a beaucoup d'expérience ?Does he have a lot of experience?
- ManonOui, il enseigne depuis vingt ans.Yes, he has been teaching for twenty years.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mûr, CC BY-SA 4.0.
