œuf de phoque
The English phrase seal egg is translated into French as œuf de phoque.
Did you know?
- While 'egg' is a common noun in English, the phrase œuf de phoque sounds quite biologically impossible to a French speaker, as seals are mammals and do not lay eggs.
- In French, the word œuf uses a ligature, where the letters 'o' and 'e' are joined into the single character œ.
- The term phoque is used for all seal species in French, whereas English often distinguishes between 'seal' and 'sea lion'.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are visiting a natural history exhibit.
- HugoRegarde, Léa, c'est un œuf de phoque !Look, Léa, it's a seal egg!
- LéaC'est incroyable, je n'en ai jamais vu.That's incredible, I've never seen one.
- HugoL'œuf de phoque est très petit, non ?The seal egg is very small, isn't it?
- LéaOui, c'est vraiment minuscule.Yes, it is truly tiny.
