How to Say "Shallow" in French

peu profond

The English word "shallow" is translated into French as peu profond.

peu profond is used to describe something that does not extend far downward in physical depth, such as a body of water.

Meaning: extending not far downward (adj)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is a literal construction where peu means "little" and profond means "deep".

Use peu profond for physical depth. For abstract concepts, such as a shallow person or a shallow argument, use the word superficiel.

When describing the feminine noun eau, use the feminine form peu profonde. For feminine plural nouns, use peu profondes.

The French word peu is a distant cousin of the English word 'few'. Both words share a root from the Proto-Indo-European word *peh₂w-, which meant 'few' or 'little'.
While peu profond describes a shallow pool, the word superficiel is used for a shallow person. This creates a sharp distinction in French between physical depth and intellectual or emotional depth that English does not make with the single word 'shallow'.
The word profond shares its DNA with the English word 'profound', meaning both words in their respective languages describe something that goes far beneath the surface.

Ce lac est peu profond.
This lake is shallow.
This sentence demonstrates how to use peu profond to describe a lake.
Tatoeba #11054559 by lbdx, translation #9182145 by CK
L'eau ici est peu profonde.
The water here is shallow.
This sentence shows the use of peu profond when describing water.
Tatoeba #10694955 by Rovo, translation #3005387 by sundown
L'eau est ici très peu profonde.
The water here is very shallow.
This sentence illustrates how to say the water is very shallow using peu profond.
Tatoeba #1488919 by sacredceltic, translation #1488439 by Spamster
Je trouve cette personne assez superficielle.
I find this person quite shallow.
Ce livre est dépourvu de profondeur.
This book is shallow/meaningless.
Ce film est vraiment vide, il n'y a aucun message.
This movie is really shallow, there's no message at all.
13 more sentences on Tatoeba

Emma and Lucas are standing at the edge of a river.

Emma

Est-ce que ce fleuve est peu profond ?
Is this river shallow?
Lucas

Oui, il est très peu profond ici.
Yes, it is very shallow here.
Emma

On peut y marcher sans problème ?
Can we walk in it without any trouble?
Lucas

Oui, l'eau ne nous arrive qu'aux chevilles.
Yes, the water only reaches our ankles.

Sources

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