pauvreté
/po.vʁə.te/feminine
The English word poverty is translated into French as pauvreté.
pauvreté is a noun used to describe the quality or state of being poor.
Meaning: quality or state of being poor (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from the adjective pauvre (poor) plus the suffix -té, which is equivalent to the English suffix -ty used to form abstract nouns.
Which one should you use?
While pauvreté refers to the abstract state of being poor, you should use the adjective pauvre when you want to describe a person or a thing that is poor.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, speakers may sometimes use la pauvreté économique instead of la pauvreté to clarify that the context is specifically economic.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a feminine noun, pauvreté must be preceded by the feminine article la or the partitive/indefinite forms une or de la depending on the context.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of 3 syllables: /po.vʁə.te/.
Did you know?
- While pauvreté is an abstract noun, a person living in poverty is often referred to as someone 'démuni', which literally means 'stripped of one's defenses' or 'disarmed'.
- While pauvreté describes the state of being poor, the French word misère is often used to describe the extreme, crushing physical suffering associated with it.
- Historically, the concept of pauvreté was romanticized in French religious movements, where 'voluntary poverty' was seen as a spiritual virtue rather than a social failure.
Examples in context
- La pauvreté règne partout.Poverty is everywhere.This sentence shows how to state that pauvreté is widespread.Tatoeba #4548359 by sacredceltic, translation #4494613 by CK
- J'ai vécu dans la pauvreté.I lived in poverty.This sentence describes the experience of living in a state of pauvreté.Tatoeba #1979217 by nimfeo, translation #1979236 by CM
- La Chine éradique la pauvreté.China is eliminating poverty.This sentence illustrates the action of eliminating pauvreté.Tatoeba #11040835 by Amastan, translation #10694133 by Amastan
- La pauvreté est un problème complexe à résoudre dans notre société.Poverty is a complex problem to solve in our society.
- Les politiques devraient s'attaquer à l'indigence des familles les plus vulnérables.Policies should address the destitution of the most vulnerable families.
- La précarité économique est une réalité pour de nombreuses personnes dans notre pays.Economic insecurity is a reality for many people in our country.
- Il y a tellement de misère dans notre ville, il est temps de faire quelque chose.There is so much poverty in our city, it's time to do something about it.
- La pauvreté économique touche de nombreux ménages québécois.Economic poverty affects many households in Québec.
- 55 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a documentary they just watched.
- ChloéCe film montre la pauvreté dans le monde.This film shows poverty in the world.
- HugoC'est une réalité très triste, Chloé.It is a very sad reality, Chloé.
- ChloéOn doit agir contre la pauvreté.We must act against poverty.
- HugoJe suis d'accord avec toi.I agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poverty” translations and entries pauvreté, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
