Mme
/ma.dam/
Mme is the French way to say "Mrs.".
Mme is the abbreviation for Madame, which is the standard polite way to address an adult woman in modern French. While it traditionally refers to a married woman, it is now used universally to address any woman regardless of her marital status. You can use Madame followed by a woman's last name as a formal option. When addressing a married couple, you may use Monsieur et Madame followed by the husband's last name.
Which one should you use?
While Mademoiselle was previously used for unmarried women in France, Madame is now the preferred term to avoid making assumptions about a woman's marital status.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the abbreviation Mme does not take a period at the end, unlike the English "Mrs.".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ma.dam/. It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often incorrectly add a period after the abbreviation (Mme.), but this is not standard French practice.
Did you know?
- While Madame is the standard, in certain traditional French settings, the term Madame can be used as a noun to describe a woman who runs a brothel.
- In France, the government officially removed Mademoiselle from administrative forms in 2012. This made Madame the only legal title for all women in official state documents.
- In French, the title Madame can be used alone as a direct address, whereas 'Mrs.' in English almost always requires a surname to follow it.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, Madame DupontHello, Mrs. Dupont
- Madame Dupont, née SimonMrs. Dupont, formerly Simon
- Bonjour, Mme Martin.Hello, Mrs. Martin.
- C'est pour Mme Lefebvre.It is for Mrs. Lefebvre.
- Mme Bernard est très gentille.Mrs. Bernard is very kind.
Example conversation
Gabriel is delivering a package to Manon's neighbor.
- GabrielEst-ce que Mme Morel est là ?Is Mrs. Morel there?
- ManonOui, elle est dans le jardin.Yes, she is in the garden.
- GabrielJe vais lui apporter ce colis.I am going to bring her this package.
- ManonElle sera très contente, Gabriel.She will be very happy, Gabriel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Mme, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
