pièces
The English phrase "pieces" is translated into French as pièces.
pièces is used to refer to individual parts or sections of a larger object. In the context of a house or apartment, it can also refer to rooms. Additionally, pièces can refer to coins in a monetary context.
Which one should you use?
While pièces can refer to pieces of an object, it also specifically refers to rooms in a house or coins in a monetary context. For small pieces or bits in spoken French, you might encounter the word bouts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is pièce and the plural is pièces.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use pièces to mean "pieces of cake" or "slices". However, morceaux is the correct word to use for food portions.
Did you know?
- The word pièce is used for a 'play' in a theater, as in une pièce de théâtre. This refers to the work as a single 'piece' of literature.
- When discussing a house, the number of pièces refers to the rooms, but this does not typically include the kitchen or the bathroom.
- In French, a 'piece of news' or a 'piece of advice' is not expressed using pièce. Instead, French uses une nouvelle or un conseil without a word for 'piece'.
Examples in context
- Ce puzzle compte cinq-cents pièces.This puzzle has 500 pieces.This sentence shows the use of pièces for puzzle components.Tatoeba #1674756 by sacredceltic, translation #60672 by CK
- Puis-je voir deux pièces d'identité ?May I see two pieces of identification?This sentence shows the use of pièces in the context of identification.Tatoeba #1676247 by sacredceltic, translation #269837 by CK
- Il donna d'innombrables pièces au musée.He donated countless pieces to the museum.This sentence shows the use of pièces for items donated to a museum.Tatoeba #1563184 by sacredceltic, translation #1563135 by sam_m
- Le chef-d'œuvre de l'artiste était divisé en plusieurs morceaux.The artist's masterpiece was divided into several pieces.
- Le puzzle manque de quelques pièces.The puzzle is missing a few pieces.
- Cet appartement a trois pièces.This apartment has three rooms.
- Est-ce que je peux avoir quelques bouts de fromage, s'il te plaît ?Can I have a few bits of cheese, please?
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are organizing a large board game.
- LéaIl manque quelques pièces au jeu.A few pieces are missing from the game.
- HugoJe les cherche dans le carton.I am looking for them in the box.
- LéaHugo, regarde ces petites pièces dorées !Hugo, look at these little golden pieces!
- HugoAh, elles étaient sous la table.Ah, they were under the table.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
