How to Say "Mother-in-law" in French

belle-mère

/bɛl.mɛʁ/feminine

The French word for mother-in-law is belle-mère.

belle-mère is the standard noun used to refer to the mother of one's spouse.

Meaning: spouse's mother (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The term belle-mère literally translates to beautiful mother.

While it means mother-in-law, belle-mère is also the term used for a stepmother.

To form the plural, both parts of the word take an 's', resulting in belles-mères.

The pronunciation is /bɛl.mɛʁ/. It has 2 syllables.

In French, almost all in-law relations use the adjective belle or beau, creating a family of 'beautiful' relatives like beau-père and belle-fille.
While belle-mère is the official term, some French speakers use the informal belle-maman to sound more affectionate or less formal.
The phrase belle-mère was inherited from Middle French belle-mere.

J'adore ma belle-mère. Elle est vraiment gentille et compréhensive.
I adore my mother-in-law. She is really kind and understanding.
La mère de mon conjoint vit à Paris. Elle est une femme très élégante.
My mother-in-law lives in Paris. She is a very elegant woman.
Ma belle-maman adore cuisiner et prépare toujours de délicieux plats.
My mother-in-law loves cooking and always prepares delicious meals.
Ma belle-mère est venue nous rendre visite ce week-end. Nous avons passé un moment très agréable ensemble.
My mother-in-law came to visit us this weekend. We had a very enjoyable time together.
Ma belle-mère est très gentille.
My mother-in-law is very kind.
Je vais rendre visite à ma belle-mère.
I am going to visit my mother-in-law.
Sa belle-mère habite à Lyon.
His mother-in-law lives in Lyon.

Léa and Gabriel are discussing their weekend plans.

Léa

Est-ce que ta belle-mère vient dîner samedi ?
Is your mother-in-law coming to dinner Saturday?
Gabriel

Oui, ma belle-mère a déjà confirmé sa présence.
Yes, my mother-in-law has already confirmed she's coming.
Léa

C'est super, je vais préparer un gâteau.
That's great, I will prepare a cake.
Gabriel

Elle sera ravie, merci Léa !
She will be delighted, thank you Léa!

Sources

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