court
/kuʁ/
The French word for 'short' is court.
In French, court is used to describe something that is abrupt. Brief. Pointed. Petulant.
Meaning: abrupt, brief, pointed, petulant (adj)
Which one should you use?
While court refers to length or duration, if you want to describe a person's height as short, you should use the word petit.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes. The masculine singular is court, the feminine singular is courte, the masculine plural is courts and the feminine plural is courtes.
How do you pronounce it?
/kuʁ/
Did you know?
- The word court is a homonym for the French word for 'court', such as a tennis court or a royal court, though they have different origins.
- The word court shares an ancestor with the English word 'curt', which also means brief or blunt. Both words stem from the Latin 'curtus', meaning 'shortened' or 'cut short'.
- In certain technical contexts, court can also refer to a 'short circuit' in electricity, where it is part of the phrase court-circuit.
Examples in context
- La vie est courte.Life is short.This sentence shows how to use the form court to describe the duration of life.Tatoeba #957921 by U2FS, translation #697222 by rpglover64
- Sa réponse fut courte.His answer was short.This sentence shows how to use the form court to describe an answer.Tatoeba #12821323 by Rovo, translation #12703399 by rul
- La vie est trop courte.Life is too short.Tatoeba #3029563 by MartinShadock, translation #2811417 by Hybrid
- La jupe est trop courte.The skirt is too short.
- Elle est assez petite pour son âge.She is quite short for her age.
- C'est un petit bonhomme sympathique.He's a friendly short guy.
- Cet animal est vraiment court sur pattes !This animal is really short on legs!
- 221 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé is upset with Lucas after a brief message.
- ChloéPourquoi es-tu si court avec moi ?Why are you being so short with me?
- LucasJe suis juste très fatigué, Chloé.I am just very tired, Chloé.
- ChloéTon ton est vraiment trop court.Your tone is really too abrupt.
- LucasDésolé, je ne voulais pas être impoli.Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry court, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries court, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
