enfant unique
/ɑ̃.fɑ̃ y.nik/
The English phrase 'only child' is translated into French as enfant unique.
The phrase refers to a person who has no brothers or sisters.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase enfant unique is gender-neutral in its spelling, but the adjective unique remains the same for both masculine and feminine subjects. If you want to specify that the only child is a girl, you can use fille unique instead of enfant unique.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use seul enfant to mean 'only child', but enfant unique is the standard idiomatic expression.
Did you know?
- In French, calling someone an enfant unique can sometimes carry a slight social stigma of being 'spoiled', implying they received all the parental attention.
- The word enfant shares a common ancestor with the English word 'infant', which literally means 'one who cannot speak'.
- If you use the word seul instead of unique, you might accidentally imply the child is 'lonely' rather than simply being the only one in the family.
Examples in context
- Je suis enfant unique.I am an only child.This sentence is useful for stating that you are an enfant unique.Tatoeba #753676 by Julien_PDC, translation #256056 by CK
- Es-tu un enfant unique ?Are you an only child?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is an enfant unique.Tatoeba #955051 by sacredceltic, translation #953098 by CK
- Je ne suis pas un enfant unique.I'm not an only child.Tatoeba #4862753 by sacredceltic, translation #2547170 by CK
- Mon amie est fille unique, et elle apprécie d'avoir toute l'attention de ses parents.My friend is an only child, and she enjoys having all the attention from her parents.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking about their families.
- ManonTu as des frères ou des sœurs, Lucas ?Do you have any brothers or sisters, Lucas?
- LucasNon, je suis enfant unique.No, I am an only child.
- ManonC'est sympa ! Moi, j'ai deux sœurs.That's nice! Me, I have two sisters.
- LucasC'est animé chez toi alors !It must be lively at your place then!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry enfant unique, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries enfant, unique, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
