réfrigérateur
/ʁe.fʁi.ʒe.ʁa.tœʁ/masculine
The English word refrigerator is réfrigérateur in French. Wiktionary also lists frigo.
Meaning: appliance (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| réfrigérateur | /ʁe.fʁi.ʒe.ʁa.tœʁ/ | masculine |
| frigo | /fʁi.ɡo/ | colloquial, masculine |
The term refers to the appliance (noun).
Which one should you use?
réfrigérateur is the full, formal term used in technical contexts, manuals or formal writing, whereas frigo is used in casual conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
réfrigérateur is the formal term, while frigo is a colloquial, informal abbreviation and is the most common way to refer to a refrigerator in everyday spoken French.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the plural of réfrigérateur, add an 's' to the end to get réfrigérateurs. The plural of the colloquial frigo is frigos.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables and is pronounced /ʁe.fʁi.ʒe.ʁa.tœʁ/.
Did you know?
- The phrase mettre au frigo is sometimes used figuratively in French to mean putting a project or an idea on hold, much like 'putting it on ice' in English.
- The root of réfrigérateur comes from the Latin 'refrigerare', which originally meant to 'refresh' or 'cool down' a person, not a food item.
- The short form frigo is actually a clipping of the word frigorifique, which relates to the process of cooling or refrigeration.
Examples in context
- Le frigo est vide.There's nothing in the refrigerator.This sentence uses frigo.Tatoeba #2949773 by Blabla, translation #6048529 by CK
- Le frigo est sale.The refrigerator is dirty.Tatoeba #9558762 by Micsmithel, translation #5162342 by CarpeLanam
- Le frigo est fermé.The refrigerator is closed.Tatoeba #9558764 by Micsmithel, translation #5152850 by CarpeLanam
- J'ai acheté un nouveau réfrigérateur pour ma cuisine.I bought a new refrigerator for my kitchen.
- J'ai rangé les restes de nourriture dans le frigo.I put the leftovers in the refrigerator.
- 79 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are in their kitchen.
- LéaEst-ce que le réfrigérateur fonctionne ?Is the refrigerator working?
- LucasOui, il marche très bien.Yes, it works very well.
- LéaPeux-tu acheter un nouveau réfrigérateur ?Can you buy a new refrigerator?
- LucasOn peut regarder ça ensemble.We can look at that together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “refrigerator” translations and entries réfrigérateur, frigo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries frigo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
