parfum
/paʁ.fœ̃/masculine
The French word for 'perfume' is parfum.
parfum is a masculine noun referring to a substance that provides a pleasant smell. You can describe different scent profiles using words like floral for floral, boisé for woody or fruité for fruity. Related to this is the verb parfumer, which means to scent or to perfume something or someone. Additionally, the adjective parfumé is used to describe a person or an object that has a scent.
Meaning: substance providing a pleasant smell (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of parfum is parfums.
How do you pronounce it?
/paʁ.fœ̃/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In a French bakery, you might see the word parfum used to describe the flavor of a macaron or an ice cream instead of its smell.
- The word parfum comes from the Latin words for 'through' and 'smoke', reflecting a time when scents were created by burning incense.
- In France, the town of Grasse is known as the perfume capital of the world and provides the raw materials for many of the world's most famous parfums.
Examples in context
- Ce parfum sent bon.That perfume smells good.This sentence shows how to say a perfume smells good using parfum.Tatoeba #5395863 by pititnatole, translation #3022422 by sharptoothed
- Tu es trop parfumé.You're wearing too much perfume.This sentence uses parfumé to describe someone wearing a scent.Tatoeba #8290818 by felix63, translation #12781909 by rul
- Aimes-tu ce parfum ?Do you like this perfume?This sentence is a way to ask if someone likes a specific parfum.Tatoeba #6911920 by felix63, translation #3123350 by CK
- J'ai récemment acheté un parfum français que j'ai hâte d'essayer.I recently bought a French perfume that I can't wait to try.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are in a gift shop.
- EmmaQuel parfum préfères-tu ?Which perfume do you prefer?
- HugoJ'aime bien ce parfum floral.I like this floral perfume.
- EmmaIl est très élégant, ce parfum.This perfume is very elegant.
- HugoOui, je vais l'acheter.Yes, I am going to buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “perfume” translations and entries parfum, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries parfum, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
