misérable
/mi.ze.ʁabl/
The English word miserable is translated into French as misérable.
The adjective misérable is used to describe someone or something in a state of misery. In English, the word 'miserable' typically refers to emotional unhappiness, but in French, misérable can also be used to describe a person who is contemptible or morally low.
Meaning: in a state of misery (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective misérable is the same in both its masculine and feminine forms.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of 3 syllables and is pronounced /mi.ze.ʁabl/.
Did you know?
- The word misérable is used in French to describe a very small or insufficient amount of something, such as un salaire misérable for a 'pittance' of a salary.
- While misérable describes a state of misery, the French word for a 'miser' who hoards money is avare, showing that the two concepts are linguistically separated.
- Victor Hugo's famous novel Les Misérables uses the plural form of the word to mean 'the wretched' or 'the outcasts' rather than just people who are sad.
Examples in context
- Tom a l'air misérable.Tom looks miserable.This sentence is useful for showing how to say someone looks miserable using misérable.Tatoeba #9405569 by Micsmithel, translation #2237294 by CK
- Tu dois être misérable.You must be miserable.This sentence demonstrates the use of misérable to express that someone must be in a miserable state.Tatoeba #13348216 by genes1s, translation #4494527 by CK
- J'étais misérable et malheureux.I was miserable and unhappy.This sentence shows misérable being used alongside another adjective to describe a state of being.Tatoeba #5489588 by talbotseb, translation #255688 by CK
- La vie en ce moment me rend malheureux.Life is making me miserable at the moment.
- Après avoir perdu son emploi, il se sentait infortuné.After losing his job, he felt miserable.
- Je suis désolé de vous avoir rendu la vie misérable.I am sorry for making your life miserable.
- Après son échec, il avait vraiment le blues.After his failure, he was feeling really miserable.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are talking about a friend who is going through a hard time.
- ChloéIl est tellement misérable depuis son divorce.He has been so miserable since his divorce.
- GabrielOui, il ne sort plus de chez lui.Yes, he doesn't leave his house anymore.
- ChloéC'est triste de le voir si misérable.It's sad to see him so miserable.
- GabrielOn devrait essayer de l'inviter à dîner.We should try to invite him to dinner.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “miserable” translations and entries misérable, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
