miroir
/mi.ʁwaʁ/masculine
The English word mirror is translated into French as miroir. Wiktionary also lists glace.
Meaning: smooth reflecting surface (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| miroir | /mi.ʁwaʁ/ | masculine |
| glace | /ɡlas/ | feminine |
Both miroir and glace mean a smooth reflecting surface. To express the action of looking at one's reflection, the standard phrase is se regarder dans un miroir. The related verb refléter means to reflect as in a mirror (verb).
Which one should you use?
While miroir is the standard term for a mirror, glace is frequently used in colloquial speech to refer to a mirror, especially a dressing mirror or a mirror used for grooming.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Miroir is a masculine noun, and glace is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /mi.ʁwaʁ/.
Did you know?
- The word glace is the same word French speakers use for 'ice' and 'ice cream'.
- In French, a 'rear-view mirror' in a car is called a rétroviseur, which comes from 'retro' meaning 'back' and 'voir' meaning 'to see'.
- In French, the word glace can also refer to a 'glaze' used in cooking to make a cake or meat look shiny.
Examples in context
- La vie est un miroir !Life is a mirror!This sentence uses the form miroir to illustrate a metaphor about life.Tatoeba #1851217 by Rovo, translation #1439225 by shekitten
- Où trouver un miroir ?Where's a mirror?This sentence uses the form miroir to ask for the location of a mirror.Tatoeba #3627798 by fleur74, translation #1886605 by CK
- Ne brise pas un miroir.Don't break a mirror.This sentence uses the form miroir to issue a command regarding a mirror.Tatoeba #572789 by sacredceltic, translation #18923 by Swift
- Le miroir reflète mon imageThe mirror reflects my image
- Je me suis regardé dans la glaceI looked at myself in the mirror
- Je me suis vu dans le miroirI saw myself in the mirror
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are getting ready to go out.
- LéaLucas, tu peux me passer le miroir ?Lucas, can you pass me the mirror?
- LucasOui, le voilà sur la table.Yes, here it is on the table.
- LéaMerci, je dois ajuster mon maquillage.Thanks, I need to adjust my makeup.
- LucasD'accord, on y va dans cinq minutes.Okay, we leave in five minutes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mirror” translations and entries miroir, glace, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries glace, miroir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
