Which one should you use?
While elle est canon refers to physical attractiveness, it does not imply that a person is hot in terms of temperature. For that, you would say elle a chaud.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Elle est canon is an informal, colloquial way to describe someone's attractiveness. For a more formal context, you should use Elle est séduisante (She is attractive). Other informal options include Elle est sexy (She is sexy), Elle est une bombe (She is a bombshell) or adding intensifiers such as Elle est super canon (She is super hot).
How does it change in a sentence?
The term canon functions here as a fixed slang term. Do not use the adjective canonique to mean "hot", as canonique means "canonical" and does not follow standard adjective derivation for this specific meaning.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the adjective canonique to mean "hot". Use the slang term canon instead.
Did you know?
- In French, describing someone as chaude is far more vulgar or sexual than the English term 'hot' and can lead to serious misunderstandings.
- The word canon originally meant a 'measuring rod' or 'standard' in Ancient Greek, referring to a tool used to set rules or proportions.
- While canon describes beauty, it is also the word used for the official laws of a church or a religious institution.
Examples in context
- Regarde la nouvelle voisine, elle est canon !Look at the new neighbor, she is hot!
- Elle est canon, cette actrice.That actress is hot.
- Tu as vu la nouvelle voisine ? Elle est canon !Did you see the new neighbor? She is hot!
- Je ne trouve pas qu'elle est canon.I don't think she is hot.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are looking at a photo in a magazine.
- LéaRegarde cette mannequin, elle est canon !Look at this model, she is hot!
- LucasC'est vrai, elle est vraiment très belle.True, she is really very beautiful.
- LéaElle a un style incroyable.She has an incredible style.
- LucasJe suis d'accord avec toi, Léa.I agree with you, Léa.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries canon, elle, est, CC BY-SA 4.0.
