parfait
/paʁ.fɛ/
parfait is the French word for an iced dessert.
In French, parfait refers to an iced dessert. While this is the English spelling for the dish, be aware that in French, the word is primarily used as an adjective meaning 'perfect'.
Meaning: an iced dessert (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word parfait literally means 'perfect'.
Which one should you use?
In English, 'parfait' refers specifically to a dessert, whereas in French, the word parfait is primarily used as an adjective meaning 'perfect'.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun referring to the dessert, parfait is a masculine noun. The plural form is parfaits.
How do you pronounce it?
/paʁ.fɛ/
Did you know?
- In French, calling a person parfait can be a way of saying they are 'perfectly' behaved, often implying a sense of being flawlessly polite or even slightly too formal.
- The word parfait is a 'calque', a linguistic term for a word that is translated directly from another language's structure. It is a direct structural copy of the Latin 'perfectus'.
- Because parfait can mean 'perfect', saying C'est parfait is a very common way to say 'That is great' or 'That works' in daily conversation, much more often than it refers to food.
Examples in context
- J'ai commandé un parfait à la vanille pour le dessert.I ordered a vanilla parfait for dessert.
- Ce parfait au chocolat est délicieux.This chocolate parfait is delicious.
- Je voudrais un parfait aux fruits.I would like a fruit parfait.
- Le serveur a apporté le parfait.The waiter brought the parfait.
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are looking at a dessert menu in a cafe.
- HugoRegarde, Manon, ils ont un parfait à la mangue !Look, Manon, they have a mango parfait!
- ManonOh, ça a l'air délicieux.Oh, that looks delicious.
- HugoOn partage un parfait à deux ?Shall we share a parfait together?
- ManonOui, c'est une excellente idée, Hugo.Yes, that is a great idea, Hugo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry parfait, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries parfait, CC BY-SA 4.0.
