maman
/ma.mɑ̃/
The English phrase "mom" is translated into French as maman.
maman is an informal word used to refer to one's mother. You can use Maman ! to call out to your mother to get her attention, much like saying "Mom!" in English.
Which one should you use?
While maman is the equivalent of the English "mom", the term mère is the more formal equivalent to "mother".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word maman can be pluralized by adding an s to form mamans.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /ma.mɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- While maman refers to a mother, the word manman is used in Haitian Creole, reflecting the historical influence of French in the Caribbean.
- In old French, the word maman was often written as memmen, showing how the pronunciation of the vowels has shifted over centuries.
- In France, it is common for adults to continue calling their mother maman throughout their entire lives, regardless of their age.
Examples in context
- Où est maman ?Where is mom?This example shows how to ask for the location of maman.Tatoeba #1498406 by Rovo, translation #687630 by lukaszpp
- Ta maman est là.Your mom is here.This sentence is used to state that someone's maman is present.Tatoeba #4578597 by sacredceltic, translation #3434400 by CK
- Où est ma maman ?Where's my mom?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of one's own maman.Tatoeba #3627909 by fleur74, translation #2254645 by CK
- 169 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking in the kitchen about their mother.
- LéaMaman arrive bientôt.Mom is arriving soon.
- HugoEst-ce que maman a acheté du pain ?Did mom buy some bread?
- LéaOui, maman a tout acheté.Yes, mom bought everything.
- HugoC'est super, maman est géniale.That's great, mom is awesome.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry maman, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maman, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
