perle
/pɛʁl/feminine
The English word "pearl" is translated into French as perle.
The word perle refers to a rounded shelly concretion produced by certain mollusks. In more refined or precise contexts, you can use the phrase Perle fine to specify a high-quality, valuable pearl.
Meaning: rounded shelly concretion produced by certain mollusks (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of perle is perles. The word is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɛʁl/
Did you know?
- The word perle comes from the Latin perula, which literally means 'little pear'.
- French has a specific verb perler which means to form small drops, like sweat or dew, that look like tiny pearls on a surface.
- In French culinary terms, a perle can refer to small, spherical shapes like tiny pasta or caviar-like garnishes.
Examples in context
- Le frère de Marie a trouvé une perle.Mary's brother found a pearl.Tatoeba #6857258 by felix63, translation #6858767 by Eccles17
- Ziri a acheté à Rima des boucles d'oreilles avec perles.Ziri bought Rima pearl earrings.Tatoeba #11964019 by Amastan, translation #10221712 by Amastan
- On mentionne souvent Hawaï comme la « Perle du Pacifique ».Hawaii is often referred to as "The Pearl of the Pacific."Tatoeba #1591642 by Petrus, translation #34967 by mailohilohi
- Elle porte un collier avec une magnifique perle .She is wearing a necklace with a beautiful pearl.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are at a jewelry store.
- EmmaRegarde cette magnifique perle blanche.Look at this magnificent white pearl.
- HugoElle est très brillante, Emma.It is very shiny, Emma.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'elle est trop chère ?Is it too expensive?
- HugoJe ne sais pas, demandons au vendeur.I don't know, let's ask the salesman.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pearl” translations and entries perle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries perle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
