Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| beau | /bo/ /bjo/ (obsolete) |
| joli | /ʒɔ.li/ |
beau and joli are used for things that are aesthetically pleasing, with C'est joli being a common way to say something is nice to look at. If you want to describe something as pleasant or agreeable, you can use agréable. For describing a charming or delightful person or thing, use ravissant.
Which one should you use?
beau is a stronger term than "nice" and is typically used to mean "beautiful" or "handsome". joli is used to mean "pretty" and refers to things that are aesthetically pleasing in a delicate or pleasant way.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form beau changes to belle when describing a feminine noun. Similarly, the form joli changes based on gender and number, such as jolies for a feminine plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/bo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use beau or joli to describe a person's personality or friendliness. To say a person is "nice" in terms of being kind or friendly, use gentil.
Did you know?
- In a sarcastic context, a French speaker might say C'est joli ! to describe a disaster or a mistake. In this case, it functions like the English 'Great!' when something goes wrong.
- The word joli may be distantly related to the English word 'Yule'. It likely evolved from the Old Norse term for the midwinter festival to describe something joyful or pretty.
- Using gentil to describe someone as 'nice' comes from the same root as the English word 'gentle'. In Old French, it originally referred to someone of noble birth or 'gentle' lineage.
Examples in context
- C'est du joli !How nice!This sentence shows how to use joli to express that something is nice.Tatoeba #1927905 by sacredceltic, translation #1913091 by CK
- Quel beau vélo !What a nice bike!This sentence demonstrates using beau to describe a bike.Tatoeba #6465900 by GB3, translation #6460037 by ilkeraltinok365
- Joli coup, Tom !Nice move, Tom.This sentence shows joli being used to comment on a move.Tatoeba #11896242 by zogwarg, translation #11896225 by CK
- Votre accueil est très aimable.Your welcome is very nice.
- Je tiens à vous remercier pour votre collaboration, vous êtes très sympathique.I would like to thank you for your collaboration, you are very nice.
- Ton nouveau tatouage est vraiment chouette !Your new tattoo is really nice!
- La fête hier soir était géniale !The party last night was awesome!
- T'es super sympa, merci pour ton aide !You're really nice, thanks for your help!
- Ta nouvelle robe est très jolie !Your new dress is really nice!
- Le village est ravissant !The village is lovely!
- Ton discours était très beau et touchant.Your speech was very nice and touching.
- 183 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are looking at a photograph of a landscape.
- GabrielRegarde cette photo, c'est un beau paysage.Look at this photo, it's a beautiful landscape.
- ChloéOui, c'est vraiment magnifique.Yes, it is truly magnificent.
- GabrielTu as un beau cadre pour elle ?Do you have a nice frame for it?
- ChloéJe vais en acheter un demain.I will buy one tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nice” translations and entries beau, joli, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beau, joli, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
