Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pénurie | feminine | |
| déficit | /de.fi.sit/ | masculine |
| insuffisance | /ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃s/ | feminine |
The term shortage is most commonly expressed as pénurie, which refers to a physical lack of a resource. Other options include déficit for economic or fiscal shortfalls, insuffisance to denote a general insufficiency or inadequacy and rareté to describe scarcity.
Which one should you use?
While pénurie refers to a physical lack of a resource, déficit is used specifically for a shortfall in amounts, such as a budget or a financial balance. Additionally, insuffisance is used when something exists but is not enough in quantity or quality, whereas pénurie implies a much more severe and critical scarcity.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing a shortage of a specific item, use the preposition de (or d' before a vowel) immediately after pénurie.
Did you know?
- In French, a 'shortage' of money is not just a déficit, but can be described as être à sec, which literally means 'to be dry'.
- The term insuffisance is often used in a medical context to describe a functional shortage, such as insuffisance cardiaque for heart failure.
- The word pénurie is a direct relative of the English word 'penury', which refers to extreme poverty or lack of money.
Examples in context
- Il y a une grave pénurie d'eau.There is an acute shortage of water.This sentence is useful for describing an acute shortage of water using pénurie.Tatoeba #911054 by sacredceltic, translation #269510 by CM
- Il y a une pénurie de pièces automobiles.There's a shortage of car parts.This sentence is useful for describing a shortage of car parts using pénurie.Tatoeba #12197470 by lbdx, translation #9530304 by sundown
- En 1994, il y a eu une pénurie d'eau et de riz au Japon.In 1994, there was a shortage of water and rice in Japan.This sentence is useful for describing a past shortage of water and rice in Japan using pénurie.Tatoeba #446538 by chtof, translation #73261 by CK
- Il y a une pénurie de gaz naturel dans la régionThere is a shortage of natural gas in the region
- Il y a une insuffisance de personnel dans cette entrepriseThere is a shortage of staff in this company
- La rareté des matières premières est un problème pour l'industrieThe shortage of raw materials is a problem for the industry
- Il y a un manque de provisions dans le réfrigérateurThere is a shortage of provisions in the fridge
- Il y a une pénurie de places de parking dans cette villeThere is a shortage of parking spaces in this city
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are talking about the news at home.
- LéaOn parle d'une pénurie de blé mondiale.They are talking about a global wheat shortage.
- NathanC'est inquiétant pour le prix du pain.That is worrying for the price of bread.
- LéaOui, cette pénurie affecte beaucoup de pays.Yes, this shortage affects many countries.
- NathanJ'espère que la situation va s'améliorer.I hope the situation will improve.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shortage” translations and entries pénurie, déficit, insuffisance, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries déficit, insuffisance, pénurie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
