portrait
/pɔʁ.tʁɛ/masculine
The English word "portrait" is translated into French as portrait.
The word portrait refers to a painting of a person.
Meaning: painting of a person (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
portrait is a masculine noun. You use the indefinite article un for "a portrait" and the definite article le for "the portrait". To form the plural "portraits", add an s to the end of the word.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /pɔʁ.tʁɛ/.
Did you know?
- The French word portrait is used in the expression portrait craché to describe a striking resemblance between two people. This translates literally to 'spat portrait', suggesting the likeness is so strong it was practically thrown onto the other person.
- A portrait robot is the French term for a police sketch or a composite drawing of a suspect.
- The word portrait comes from the Latin prōtrahō, which originally meant 'to draw forward' or 'to drag'.
Examples in context
- Avez-vous peint ce portrait ?Did you paint this portrait?This sentence is useful for asking if someone painted the portrait.Tatoeba #13215711 by lbdx, translation #12452751 by CK
- Lucy fait le portrait de Mischa.Lucy is painting a portrait of Mischa.This sentence is useful for describing someone making the portrait of another person.Tatoeba #7498970 by Micsmithel, translation #8831811 by sundown
- Il y a un portrait de Bob au mur.There is a portrait of Bob on the wall.This sentence is useful for stating that a portrait is located on a wall.Tatoeba #465427 by sacredceltic, translation #320246 by CP
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are at an art gallery.
- ChloéRegarde ce portrait, Hugo.Look at this portrait, Hugo.
- HugoIl est très impressionnant.It is very impressive.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu aimes son style ?Do you like his style?
- HugoOui, l'artiste est talentueux.Yes, the artist is talented.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “portrait” translations and entries portrait, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries portrait, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
