soldes
The English word "sales" (referring to a period of discounted retail goods) is translated into French as soldes.
In France, soldes refers specifically to the legally regulated seasonal sale periods where stores offer products at reduced prices, such as les soldes d'hiver (the winter sales).
Which one should you use?
The term soldes is used for seasonal discount periods in shops. In contrast, une vente refers to a single transaction, a specific event like a garage sale or a clearance sale. If you are talking about business revenue or the volume of items sold, you should use ventes.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to these seasonal retail discount periods, soldes is always used in the plural form, typically preceded by the article les.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using les ventes to mean a retail discount period. This is a common error. In French, les ventes actually refers to the volume of sales or business revenue rather than a time of discounted shopping.
Did you know?
- In France, the dates for les soldes are strictly fixed by the government. It is illegal for a store to advertise 'sales' outside of these specific calendar windows.
- While soldes is used for seasonal events, the term braderie describes a specific type of street sale where shops spill onto the sidewalk to sell goods at low prices.
- French law distinguishes between soldes and déstockage. While soldes are seasonal, déstockage refers to clearing out old stock regardless of the time of year.
Examples in context
- Les soldes ne sont pas reprises.All sales are final.This sentence is useful for noting that sales are final regarding the word soldes.Tatoeba #800378 by sacredceltic, translation #744541 by darinmex
- J'adore les soldes, un point c'est tout.I just love bargain sales.This sentence shows an expression of enthusiasm for the word soldes.Tatoeba #2565685 by sacredceltic, translation #2372779 by CK
- Les prix s'effondrent lors des soldes d'hiver.Prices drop in the winter clearance sales.This sentence describes how prices drop during the winter sales using the word soldes.Tatoeba #2321888 by sacredceltic, translation #2320138 by Gulliver
- Les ventes de ce trimestre ont surpassé toutes nos prévisions.The sales for this quarter have exceeded all our forecasts.
- Les ventes au détail ont augmenté de 10% le mois dernier.Retail sales increased by 10% last month.
- J'ai trouvé une super affaire aux soldes d'été !I found a great deal at the summer sales!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are walking past a clothing store.
- EmmaRegarde, les soldes commencent demain !Look, the sales start tomorrow!
- HugoC'est super, je veux une nouvelle veste.That's great, I want a new jacket.
- EmmaOn ira ensemble faire les soldes ?Shall we go to the sales together?
- HugoOui, ça me convient parfaitement.Yes, that works perfectly for me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry soldes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
