peindre
/pɛ̃dʁ/
To paint in French, meaning to apply paint to something, use peindre. If unsure, use peindre. Wiktionary also lists peinturer.
Meaning: to apply paint to (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| peindre | /pɛ̃dʁ/ | |
| peinturer | /pɛ̃.ty.ʁe/ | Quebec |
peindre is the standard verb in France and most of the French speaking world, both for applying paint to a surface and for creating a painting.
Which one should you use?
The noun for the substance is peinture, which also means a finished painting.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, peinturer is common for applying paint to a surface such as a wall or a fence.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of peindre is peint, used to form compound tenses such as the passé composé.
How do you pronounce it?
peindre is pronounced /pɛ̃dʁ/, with a nasal vowel at the start.
Did you know?
- If you are a professional artist in France, you would likely avoid the verb peinturer entirely. Using it might suggest you are merely a handyman coating a wall rather than a person creating art.
- The French verb peindre is a distant relative of the English word 'paint' through their shared ancestor in the Latin verb pingere.
- The phrase peindre en noir can be used figuratively to describe a situation in a pessimistic or bleak way, rather than referring to actual black paint.
Examples in context
- Je dois le peindre.I have to paint it.le peindre means to paint it.Tatoeba #570145 by sacredceltic, translation #441953 by CK
- Je n'aime pas peindre.I don't like to paint.peindre follows the negated verb for liking.Tatoeba #1579530 by Rovo, translation #1579438 by fanty
- Tom m'apprend à peindre.Tom is teaching me to paint.à peindre means how to paint.Tatoeba #5155926 by Ceriz, translation #5155548 by CarpeLanam
- Je peins une toile magnifique.I paint a beautiful canvas.
- Tu peins les murs de la chambre.You paint the walls of the bedroom.
- J'ai acheté de la peinture pour mon prochain projet.I bought some paint for my next project.
- Ce musée expose des peintures impressionnistes.This museum displays impressionist paintings.
- Monsieur, vous pratiquez l'art de la peinture ?Sir, do you practice the art of painting?
- Tu aimes peindre, n'est-ce pas ?You like to paint, don't you?
- J'aime dessiner des portraits, puis les peindre.I enjoy drawing portraits, then painting them.
- La peinture est un moyen d'expression très puissant.Painting is a very powerful means of expression.
- Il a donné un coup de pinceau final à son chef-d'œuvre.He gave a final brushstroke to his masterpiece.
- Elle est une vraie artiste. Ses peintures sont sublimes.She is a true artist. Her paintings are sublime.
- 62 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are discussing their home renovation.
- GabrielJe veux peindre le salon en bleu.I want to paint the living room blue.
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée, Gabriel.That's a great idea, Gabriel.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu peux m'aider à peindre ?Can you help me paint?
- EmmaOui, je peux t'aider samedi prochain.Yes, I can help you next Saturday.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paint” translations and entries peindre, peinturer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries peindre, peinturer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
