russe
/ʁys/masculine
The French word for the Russian language is russe. Wiktionary also lists langue russe and langue de Tolstoï.
Meaning: Russian (language) (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| russe | /ʁys/ | masculine |
| langue russe | feminine | |
| langue de Tolstoï | /lɑ̃ɡ də tɔl.stɔ.i/ | feminine |
The word 'russe' is the standard term to refer to the Russian language in formal contexts. It can function as an adjective describing things of or pertaining to Russia.
Which one should you use?
You may also see the phrase langue russe or langue de Tolstoï.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the language as a noun, it is used with the definite article 'le'. As an adjective, russe does not change its spelling between masculine and feminine forms. To refer to a Russian person, you must capitalize the word (un Russe), whereas the language (le russe) is lowercase.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁys/
What mistakes should you avoid?
In French, the name of a language is not capitalized unless it is at the start of a sentence.
Did you know?
- While russe is the standard term, French speakers sometimes use 'langues slaves' to categorize Russian within its broader linguistic family.
- French often describes the 'spirit' of a language, so le russe may be discussed as having a specific 'musicality' compared to other languages.
- The word langue for 'language' shares the same root as the English word 'lingua', which is why you see it in anatomical terms like 'lingual'.
Examples in context
- Qui parle russe ?Who speaks Russian?This sentence is useful for asking who speaks russe.Tatoeba #5762849 by Yemana, translation #5392385 by giiraffen
- Est-ce du russe ?Is that Russian?This sentence is useful for asking if something is russe.Tatoeba #10166448 by felix63, translation #10166409 by ddnktr
- Il parle le russe.He speaks Russian.This sentence is useful for stating that someone speaks russe.Tatoeba #806516 by sacredceltic, translation #842957 by J_S
- 229 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are at a language school.
- LucasTu apprends le russe, Manon ?Are you learning Russian, Manon?
- ManonOui, c'est passionnant.Yes, it is fascinating.
- LucasMoi, je préfère le russe à l'espagnol.As for me, I prefer Russian to Spanish.
- ManonC'est vrai, c'est très mélodieux.That's true, it's very melodious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “russian” translations and entries russe, langue de Tolstoï, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, langue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
