poivre
/pwavʁ/masculine
The English word pepper is translated into French as poivre.
poivre is a masculine noun used to refer to the spice. If you wish to use a verb meaning to add pepper to something, you can use poivrer or the phrase assaisonner de poivre. If you mean to add something at frequent intervals, the verb ponctuer is used.
Meaning: spice (noun)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between types of pepper: use poivre for the spice, but use poivron when referring to the vegetable known as a bell pepper.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Caribbean French-speaking islands, such as Martinique and Guadeloupe, the word piment is used to refer to both the vegetable and the spice.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to an unspecified amount of pepper in a sentence, use the partitive article du before the noun, such as in du poivre.
How do you pronounce it?
/pwavʁ/
Did you know?
- The phrase poivre et sel is not just for seasoning, but is a common French term to describe hair that is turning grey.
- The French expression mettre du poivre dans la soupe means to add spice or excitement to a dull situation.
- In French, the word poivre is used specifically for the peppercorns from the Piper nigrum plant, while any spicy chili pepper is called a piment.
Examples in context
- Ajoute du poivre !Add pepper!The first example shows how to use poivre in an imperative command to add the spice.Tatoeba #8676659 by Julien_PDC, translation #12090946 by FishlandicFishy
- Tu veux du poivre ?Do you want some pepper?The second example demonstrates a question using poivre to ask if someone wants some.Tatoeba #7745725 by lbdx, translation #7737849 by CK
- Il déteste le poivre.He hates pepper.The third example shows the use of poivre to express a dislike for the spice.Tatoeba #12052492 by Amastan, translation #8318980 by Amastan
- Je préfère le poivre noir .I prefer black pepper.
- Ajoutez un peu de poivre moulu .Add a bit of ground pepper.
- Les poivrons sont délicieux dans la salade .Peppers are delicious in salad.
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are finishing a meal at a restaurant.
- LucasPeux-tu me passer le poivre, s'il te plaît ?Can you pass me the pepper, please?
- ManonBien sûr, le voici.Of course, here it is.
- LucasMerci, ce plat manque un peu de poivre.Thanks, this dish lacks a bit of pepper.
- ManonJe suis d'accord avec toi.I agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pepper” translations and entries poivre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
