papier
/pa.pje/masculine
The French word for paper is papier.
papier refers to the sheet material itself. When you want to describe an object as being made of paper, you should use the related forms en papier or de papier.
Meaning: sheet material (noun)
Which one should you use?
papier is the noun used for the material, whereas en papier and de papier are used as adjectives to indicate that an object is made of paper.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Because papier is a non-count noun in most contexts, you use the partitive article du to mean 'some paper' (e.g., du papier).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /pa.pje/.
Did you know?
- The word papier is a cognate with the English 'paper', but it shares an ancient root with the Greek word papyros, referring to the reeds used for early writing surfaces.
- The phrase sur le papier is used idiomatically to mean 'in theory', implying that something looks good written down but may not work in reality.
- The French word papiers in the plural is often used as a shorthand for a passport or ID, such as when a police officer asks vos papiers.
Examples in context
- As-tu du papier ?Do you have paper?This example shows how to ask if someone has any papier.Tatoeba #4598221 by sacredceltic, translation #430161 by CM
- Je veux du papier.I want some paper.This example demonstrates how to express a desire for some papier.Tatoeba #1273580 by sacredceltic, translation #1273366 by CK
- T'as lu le papier ?You read the paper?This example shows how to ask if someone has read the papier.Tatoeba #774097 by Julien_PDC, translation #774098 by FeuDRenais2
- N'oubliez pas de signer les documents sur le papier bleu.Don't forget to sign the documents on the blue paper.
- J'ai noté l'adresse sur un bout de papier.I wrote down the address on a piece of paper.
- J'ai trouvé ton numéro de téléphone sur un petit morceau de papier dans ma poche.I found your phone number on a little piece of paper in my pocket.
- 278 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are in a home office.
- ManonGabriel, je n'ai plus de papier.Gabriel, I am out of paper.
- GabrielRegarde dans le tiroir du bas.Look in the bottom drawer.
- ManonIl n'y a qu'une feuille de papier.There is only one sheet of paper.
- GabrielJe vais en acheter demain.I will buy some tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paper” translations and entries papier, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
