mon cousin
The English phrase "my cousin" is translated into French as mon cousin.
mon cousin refers specifically to a male relative who is the child of one's aunt or uncle.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase mon cousin, mon is the masculine singular possessive adjective for "my" and cousin means "cousin".
Which one should you use?
Use mon cousin to refer to a male cousin. To refer to a female cousin, use ma cousine.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a group of male cousins or a mixed-gender group of cousins, use the plural form mes cousins.
Did you know?
- In the French royal court, mon cousin was a formal title used by the King to address high-ranking nobles and other sovereigns.
- While mon cousin is a standard way to identify a relative, the term cousin can also be used in French slang to refer to a close friend or a 'buddy'.
- The word cousin is distantly related to the Latin word culicīnus, which refers to something pertaining to a 'gnat' or 'mosquito'.
Examples in context
- Il épousa mon cousin.He married my cousin.This sentence shows the use of mon cousin in the context of marriage.Tatoeba #1013060 by sacredceltic, translation #297739 by CK
- Tom, c'est mon cousin.Tom, this is my cousin.This sentence is used to introduce someone as mon cousin.Tatoeba #5857667 by Aiji, translation #5565265 by CK
- Mon cousin est toxico.My cousin is a junkie.This sentence uses mon cousin in a sentence describing a person's character.Tatoeba #11933317 by lbdx, translation #1406091 by enteka
- Elle est ma cousine préférée.She is my favorite cousin.
- J'adore passer du temps avec ma petite cousine.I love spending time with my little cousin.
- Salut couz, ça fait longtemps qu'on ne s'est pas vus!Hey couz, it's been a while since we last saw each other!
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are looking at a family photo.
- ChloéQui est le garçon sur cette photo ?Who is the boy in this photo?
- GabrielC'est mon cousin, il habite à Lyon.That is my cousin, he lives in Lyon.
- ChloéIl te ressemble beaucoup !He looks a lot like you!
- GabrielOui, mon cousin et moi sommes très proches.Yes, my cousin and I are very close.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cousin, mon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
