How to Say "Seagull" in French

mouette

/mwɛt/

The French word for seagull is mouette.

The term mouette refers to a common coastal bird with white and grey feathers.

Which one should you use?

While mouette is used for common small seagulls, the word goéland is used to refer to larger species of gulls.

mouette is a feminine noun. The plural form of mouette is mouettes.

/mwɛt/

The word mouette descends from the Old English word mǣw, showing that the term traveled from Germanic roots into French through Anglo-Norman influence.
In French culture, mouette is often used in poetry and song to evoke a sense of lightness and freedom, whereas goéland can feel more aggressive or imposing.
The word mouette shares an unexpected common ancestor with the English word 'mew', which is the sound a gull makes. This connection traces back to the same Proto-Germanic root for the bird.

Cet oiseau s'appelle une mouette.
This bird is called a seagull.
This sentence is useful for learning how to name the bird using mouette.
Tatoeba #7723952 by Katastrauff, translation #1814217 by AlanF_US
Je suis une mouette.
I am a seagull.
This sentence is useful for practicing the use of mouette in a simple identity statement.
Tatoeba #437519 by Clavain, translation #437520 by Clavain
J'ai vu un goéland sur la plage.
I saw a seagull on the beach.
Il y a beaucoup de mouettes près du port.
There are many seagulls near the harbor.
J'ai observé un goéland argenté.
I observed a silver seagull.
Une mouette vole au-dessus de la mer.
A seagull is flying above the sea.

A couple is walking along a beach in Brittany.

Nathan

Regarde cette mouette sur le sable!
Look at that seagull on the sand!
Emma

Elle est très blanche, la mouette.
The seagull is very white.
Nathan

Elle veut sans doute manger ton pain.
She probably wants to eat your bread.
Emma

Tu as raison, Nathan, je la range.
You're right, Nathan, I'm putting it away.

Sources

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