jolie fille
The English phrase "pretty girl" is translated into French as jolie fille.
This phrase describes a girl who is attractive or pleasing to look at.
Which one should you use?
Belle gosse is used for a "pretty chick" or "hot girl", whereas canon is used to describe someone as "hot" or "gorgeous".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canadian French, the informal term poupoune is used to mean a pretty girl. In some African French-speaking countries, the informal expression belle go is also used to describe a pretty girl.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective jolie must agree in gender with the feminine noun fille.
Did you know?
- Because of its linguistic history, using the single word fille to mean 'girl' can occasionally carry a scandalous or derogatory connotation of 'prostitute' depending on the context.
- In French-speaking Africa, the term belle go is used. The word go is a slang term for 'girl' derived from Nouchi, a street language from Côte d'Ivoire.
- In Quebec, you might hear the word poupoune to describe a pretty girl. This comes from the word 'poupon', which means 'baby doll'.
Examples in context
- C'est une jolie fille.That's a pretty girl.This is useful for identifying a girl as being pretty.Tatoeba #3599229 by sacredceltic, translation #3594085 by CK
- Est-elle jolie fille ?Is she a pretty girl?This is useful for asking if a girl is pretty.Tatoeba #4760144 by sacredceltic, translation #310695 by CK
- Il vit une jolie fille.He saw a pretty girl.This is useful for stating that someone saw a pretty girl.Tatoeba #130831 by Micsmithel, translation #289597 by CK
- Il sort avec une fille canon.He's dating a really pretty girl.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are looking at a photo of a relative.
- EmmaRegarde, c'est une très jolie fille.Look, she is a very pretty girl.
- HugoOui, elle ressemble beaucoup à sa mère.Yes, she looks a lot like her mother.
- EmmaC'est vraiment une jolie fille, n'est-ce pas ?She really is a pretty girl, isn't she?
- HugoJe suis d'accord avec toi.I agree with you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
