ovale
masculine
The English word "oval" is translated into French as ovale.
The word ovale refers to a shape like an egg or an ellipse. You can use it as a noun or as an adjective to mean "oval-shaped".
Meaning: shape like an egg or ellipse (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word ovale is used for an ellipse or an egg shape, whereas rond is used to describe a perfect circle. If you need a more technical or scientific synonym to describe egg-like shapes, you can use ovoïde.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, ovale is invariable in gender, so it has the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. To make the adjective ovale plural, add an s to get ovales.
Did you know?
- Even though ovale comes from the word for 'egg', the French word for 'egg' itself, œuf, is a completely different-looking word that changes sound entirely in the plural.
- In French, the phrase visage ovale is a standard beauty ideal, while English speakers more frequently use 'round' or 'long' to describe face shapes.
- The French term Bureau ovale is used almost exclusively for the US President's office rather than as a general description of a room's shape.
Examples in context
- Elle a un visage ovale.She has an oval face.This sentence demonstrates the use of ovale to describe a face.Tatoeba #7811505 by Aiji, translation #4943598 by AlanF_US
- Un œuf n'est pas rond mais ovale.An egg is not round but oval.This sentence uses ovale to distinguish an egg shape from a round one.Tatoeba #12050975 by Rovo, translation #10557388 by AlanF_US
- Le bureau ovale est dans la Maison Blanche.The oval office is in the White House.This sentence uses ovale in the name of the oval office.Tatoeba #10276807 by lbdx, translation #2260319 by Hybrid
- Ce miroir a une forme ovaleThis mirror has an oval shape
- J'adore les meubles ovalesI love oval-shaped furniture
- Le miroir en face de moi est de forme ovaleThe mirror in front of me is oval-shaped
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are choosing a mirror for the bathroom.
- LucasTu préfères le miroir rond ou l'ovale ?Do you prefer the round mirror or the oval one?
- EmmaJe pense que l'ovale est plus moderne.I think the oval one is more modern.
- LucasC'est vrai, l'ovale convient mieux ici.That's true, the oval one fits better here.
- EmmaD'accord, achetons l'ovale alors.Okay, let's buy the oval one then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “oval” translations and entries ovale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
