orange
/ɔ.ʁɑ̃ʒ/
The phrase for "orange the fruit" in French is orange.
orange refers to the round citrus fruit with bright orange skin and sweet or tart flesh.
Which one should you use?
While orange refers to the fruit, note that when using the word as an adjective to describe the color orange, it is invariable and does not take an s in the plural.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun orange is feminine, so you should use the feminine article une when referring to a single fruit. To form the plural, simply add an s to the end of the word, resulting in des oranges.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɔ.ʁɑ̃ʒ/, consisting of 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French term for the fruit was originally a shortened version of pomme d'orenge, which literally means 'apple of orange'.
- French has a specific word, bigarade, for the bitter orange used in perfumes and marmalades, distinguishing it from the sweet eating fruit.
Examples in context
- Dans le panier, il y a une orange délicieuse.There is a delicious orange in the basket.
- J'ai acheté des oranges pour le dessert. Ah, tu veux dire des clémentines.I bought some oranges for dessert. Ah, you mean clementines.
- Une orange est très juteuse.An orange is very juicy.
- Je mange une orange au petit-déjeuner.I am eating an orange for breakfast.
- L'orange est parfaite pour le goûter.The orange is perfect for a snack.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are preparing a fruit salad in the kitchen.
- ManonLucas, peux-tu couper l'orange ?Lucas, can you cut the orange?
- LucasOui, je m'en occupe tout de suite.Yes, I'll take care of it right away.
- ManonMerci, on a besoin de plus de fruits.Thanks, we need more fruit.
- LucasJe vais ajouter une pomme aussi.I'm going to add an apple too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry orange, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries orange, CC BY-SA 4.0.
