flaque
/flak/feminine
The French word for puddle is flaque. Wiktionary also lists flaque d'eau and gouille.
Meaning: a small pool of water (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| flaque | /flak/ | feminine |
| flaque d'eau | feminine | |
| gouille | /ɡuj/ | Bugey, Savoie, Switzerland, feminine |
A puddle is a small pool of water. You can use the standard term flaque or flaque d'eau.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase flaque d'eau is a literal construction where flaque means puddle and d'eau means of water.
Which one should you use?
While flaque is the standard term for a puddle, gouille is a more specific regional term used in parts of France and Switzerland.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Bugey and Savoie regions of France, as well as in Switzerland, the word gouille is used to refer to a puddle or a small pool of water.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun flaque is feminine, so it is preceded by the feminine article la or the adjective grande (large).
How do you pronounce it?
/flak/
Did you know?
- In French, flaque is often used metaphorically in the phrase flaque de sang to describe a pool of blood.
- The word flaque was borrowed into standard French from the Picard and Norman dialects of Northern France.
- The term gouille can refer to a natural small pond or a spring in some alpine dialects, rather than just a temporary rainwater puddle.
Examples in context
- Il sauta par-dessus la flaque.He jumped across the puddle.This sentence shows an action involving the word flaque.Tatoeba #565265 by sacredceltic, translation #300190 by CK
- La libellule survole la flaque d'eau.The dragonfly flies over the puddle.This sentence uses flaque to describe where a dragonfly is flying.Tatoeba #11939153 by lbdx, translation #9828343 by PlaguedPixel
- Tom a sauté par-dessus la flaque de boue.Tom jumped across the mud puddle.This sentence shows how to use flaque when describing a puddle of mud.Tatoeba #8951243 by lbdx, translation #1024659 by CK
- J'ai marché dans une flaque d'eau en sortant de la voiture.I stepped into a puddle of water when getting out of the car.
- une flaque profondeA deep puddle
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are walking home in the rain.
- LéaFais attention à cette flaque !Watch out for that puddle!
- HugoOh, j'ai marché dedans.Oh, I stepped in it.
- LéaTes chaussures sont toutes mouillées.Your shoes are all wet.
- HugoC'est vrai, quelle flaque énorme !It's true, what a huge puddle!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “puddle” translations and entries flaque, gouille, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries flaque, gouille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
