poire
/pwaʁ/feminine
The French word for pear is poire.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine, so you must use the feminine indefinite article une instead of the masculine un when saying une poire (a pear). To make the word plural, add an s to the end to form les poires (the pears).
How do you pronounce it?
/pwaʁ/
Did you know?
- In French slang, a 'poire' can also refer to a 'pushover' or a person who is incredibly naive.
- The word poire comes from a Vulgar Latin plural form that was mistakenly interpreted as a feminine singular noun.
- While poire refers to the fruit, the French word for 'pear-shaped' is piriforme, a term more commonly found in medical or botanical texts than in daily speech.
Examples in context
- La poire sent bon.The pear smells good.This sentence is useful for describing the scent of poire.Tatoeba #5043032 by sicerabibax, translation #9722437 by ariarin
- Je mange une poire.I'm eating a pear.This sentence is useful for describing the action of eating poire.Tatoeba #1020988 by sysko, translation #2229499 by jgauthier
- La poire est verte.This pear is green.This sentence is useful for describing the color of poire.Tatoeba #8530133 by Aiji, translation #1766425 by AlanF_US
- J'ai acheté une poire délicieuseI bought a delicious pear
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are in the kitchen looking at the fruit.
- HugoEmma, tu veux une poire ?Emma, do you want a pear?
- EmmaOui, merci Hugo. Elle est bonne ?Yes, thanks Hugo. Is it good?
- HugoOui, cette poire est délicieuse.Yes, this pear is delicious.
- EmmaSuper, je vais la manger.Great, I am going to eat it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pear” translations and entries poire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries poire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
