Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pièce | /pjɛs/ | feminine |
| morceau | /mɔʁ.so/ | masculine |
| part | /paʁ/ | feminine |
| bout | /bu/ /but/ |
masculine |
The word you choose depends entirely on what kind of piece you are describing. pièce is used for components of a machine, rooms in a house or works of art and music. If you are talking about a theatrical play, use the phrase une pièce de théâtre. morceau refers to food or a fragment broken off from a larger object. part is used when the piece refers to a portion or a share of a whole, like a share of profits. Finally, bout refers to a small end, a scrap or a short segment of something like string or wood.
Which one should you use?
pièce (feminine) is used for machine components, rooms or art. morceau (masculine) is used for food or broken fragments. part (feminine) is used for a portion or share. bout (masculine) is used for small ends, scraps or short segments.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
pièce is a feminine noun, morceau and bout are masculine nouns and part is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/pjɛs/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use une pièce de pain to mean a piece of bread. Instead, use un morceau de pain.
Did you know?
- In French, the word pièce is used for both a room in a house and a coin. This is because a coin was historically seen as a 'piece' of metal.
- The word pièce has roots in Gaulish, the language of the ancient Celtic people in what is now France, rather than Latin.
- While morceau describes a piece of food, it is also the standard word for a 'piece' of music, such as a short composition or a song.
Examples in context
- Il manque une pièce.There's a piece missing.This sentence shows how to express that a piece is missing using pièce.Tatoeba #13371957 by lbdx, translation #6704000 by Eccles17
- C'est un morceau de tarte.That's a piece of pie.This sentence uses morceau to describe a piece of pie.Tatoeba #12468 by nimfeo, translation #41459 by timmartin
- C'est une pièce de musée !This is a museum piece!This sentence uses pièce to describe a work of art.Tatoeba #1463350 by Rovo, translation #1726009 by belgavox
- Je vais te donner un morceau de mon gâteau.I'm going to give you a piece of my cake.
- La ville est divisée en plusieurs parties.The city is divided into several parts.
- J'ai trouvé un fragment de poterie dans le jardin.I found a piece of pottery in the garden.
- J'ai besoin d'un bout de papier pour écrire un mot.I need a piece of paper to write a note.
- C'est un bon morceau de musique, tu devrais l'écouter.It's a good piece of music, you should listen to it.
- Je vais te donner un p'tit bout de mon sandwich.I'm going to give you a little piece of my sandwich.
- Je vais te donner une petite tranche de mon gâteau.I'm going to give you a small piece of my cake.
- 190 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are looking at a broken machine in the kitchen.
- HugoManon, je ne trouve pas la pièce manquante.Manon, I can't find the missing part.
- ManonEst-ce que c'est une petite pièce métallique ?Is it a small metal piece?
- HugoOui, elle est tombée quelque part ici.Yes, it fell somewhere here.
- ManonRegarde sous la table, Hugo.Look under the table, Hugo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “piece” translations and entries pièce, morceau, part, bout, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bout, morceau, part, pièce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
