couche-tard
/kuʃ.taʁ/feminine, masculine
The English phrase 'night owl' can be translated into French as couche-tard, noctambule or oiseau de nuit.
Meaning: one who is awake at night (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| couche-tard | /kuʃ.taʁ/ (France) /kʊʃ.tɑːʁ/ (Quebec, informal) |
feminine, masculine |
| noctambule | feminine, masculine | |
| oiseau de nuit | /wa.zo də nɥi/ | masculine |
All these terms describe a person who is awake during the night.
Which one should you use?
The term couche-tard translates to 'late sleeper' and describes individuals who go to bed late. The term noctambule is used in refined settings to suggest someone accustomed to being awake and active during the night.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase oiseau de nuit is grammatically masculine and does not change its form to a feminine version. Both couche-tard and noctambule can be used as either masculine or feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/kuʃ.taʁ/
When do people say it?
The antonym for a couche-tard is a lève-tôt, which means 'early riser'.
Did you know?
- The word noctambule is a linguistic relative of the English word 'somnambulist', which describes a sleepwalker.
- While oiseau de nuit means 'night bird', the French word for a literal owl is hibou or chouette.
- The word oiseau has its roots in a Latin diminutive, aucellus, meaning 'little bird', which is a much smaller scale than the standard word for bird.
Examples in context
- Je suis un oiseau de nuit.I'm a night owl.This sentence is useful for identifying yourself as an oiseau de nuit.Tatoeba #585893 by sacredceltic, translation #321972 by CK
- Je fus un oiseau de nuit, mais maintenant je suis un lève-tôt.I used to be a night owl, but now I'm an early riser.This sentence is useful for contrasting being an oiseau de nuit with being a lève-tôt.Tatoeba #809401 by sacredceltic, translation #671657 by darinmex
- Il est deux heures du matin et tu ne dors toujours pas, tu es vraiment un couche-tard !You stay up until two in the morning. You're such a night owl!This sentence is useful for calling someone a couche-tard because they are still awake late at night.Tatoeba #584159 by sysko, translation #584201 by FeuDRenais2
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about their sleep schedules.
- LéaÀ quelle heure te couches-tu d'habitude, Hugo ?What time do you usually go to bed, Hugo?
- HugoVers trois heures, car je suis un vrai couche-tard.Around three, because I'm a real night owl.
- LéaMoi, c'est l'inverse, je ne suis pas du tout couche-tard.For me, it's the opposite, I'm not a night owl at all.
- HugoC'est vrai, tu te réveilles toujours très tôt.That's true, you always wake up very early.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “night owl” translations and entries couche-tard, noctambule, oiseau de nuit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries couche-tard, de, nuit, oiseau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
