personne superficielle
The English phrase 'shallow person' is translated into French as personne superficielle.
This phrase describes someone who cares only about surface appearances and lacks intellectual or emotional depth. To describe the state of being shallow, you can use the expression Être superficiel(le).
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun personne is always feminine in French, so the adjective must always be the feminine form superficielle when using this specific phrase. However, if you change the noun to be more specific about gender, the adjective must agree with that new noun. For a shallow man, use un homme superficiel and for a shallow woman, use une femme superficielle.
Did you know?
- The word personne shares its root with the Latin persona, which originally referred to a mask worn by actors in ancient theatre. This suggests that a 'person' is etymologically linked to the 'character' or 'mask' one presents to the world.
- The word personne is so versatile that if you add ne before it, it changes from meaning 'person' to meaning 'nobody'. For example, personne ne sait means 'nobody knows'.
- French distinguishes between the intellectual shallowness of being superficiel and the social superficiality of being mondain. A mondain person cares specifically about high society and trendy circles.
Examples in context
- C'est une personne superficielle qui ne s'intéresse qu'aux apparences.She is a shallow person who only cares about appearances.
- Je déteste cette personne superficielle.I hate this shallow person.
- Ne sois pas une personne superficielle.Don't be a shallow person.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a former classmate.
- GabrielTu te souviens de Marc ?Do you remember Marc?
- ChloéOui, c'est une personne superficielle.Yes, he is a shallow person.
- GabrielIl ne pense qu'à son apparence.He only thinks about his appearance.
- ChloéC'est vrai, il est très vain.That's true, he is very vain.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries personne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
