mère
/mɛʁ/feminine
The English word "mother" is translated into French as mère.
The noun mère refers to a female human who gives birth to or parents a child. You may also encounter the related verb materner, which means to treat someone as a mother would be expected to.
Meaning: female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child (noun)
Which one should you use?
While mère refers to a mother in a general or biological sense, the term maman is the most common informal way to say mother, similar to "mom" or "mommy" in English.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Mère is a more formal or biological term often used in administrative, legal or clinical contexts. In contrast, maman is an informal term used by children or when speaking affectionately about one's mother. A more formal expression is Mère nourricière, which translates to "nurturing mother".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a feminine noun, mère is preceded by the feminine definite article la to form la mère (the mother).
How do you pronounce it?
/mɛʁ/
Did you know?
- In French, the word mère is used in the expression ma mère !, which functions as an exclamation of surprise or shock similar to 'Oh my goodness' or 'My goodness'.
- If you want to refer to a 'stepmother' in French, you do not use mère, but rather the term belle-mère.
- While mère is the standard noun, you might see it in the phrase mère courage, which refers to a resilient woman who endures great hardship, a concept popularized by Bertolt Brecht.
Examples in context
- C'est ta mère ?Is that your mother?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is the mère.Tatoeba #7372259 by tras, translation #1869241 by CM
- Écoute ta mère !Listen to your mother!This sentence is useful for telling someone to listen to their mère.Tatoeba #1778561 by sacredceltic, translation #1765792 by sundown
- Où est ta mère ?Where's your mother?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of someone's mère.Tatoeba #3628063 by fleur74, translation #2254688 by CK
- Les femmes incarnent souvent le rôle de mère nourricièreWomen often embody the role of a nurturing mother
- Ma maman cuisine très bienMy mom cooks very well
- 1366 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are talking about their families at a cafe.
- LucasTa mère est venue avec toi ?Did your mother come with you?
- ChloéNon, ma mère est restée à la maison.No, my mother stayed at home.
- LucasElle doit être fatiguée, alors.She must be tired, then.
- ChloéOui, elle a beaucoup voyagé.Yes, she has traveled a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations and entries mère, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
