chant
/ʃɑ̃/masculine
The English word "singing" is translated into French as chant.
chant refers to the act of using the voice to produce musical sounds. It can also refer to a specific type of rhythmic song or chant, such as a Gregorian chant (chant grégorien).
Meaning: the act of using the voice to produce musical sounds, vocalizing (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
chant is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃɑ̃/
Did you know?
- The term chantier contains the root for singing, but it actually means a 'construction site' or 'worksite'.
- In French, the word chant is used for both the act of singing and the actual song or piece of music being performed. This differs from English, where 'singing' refers to the action and 'song' refers to the composition.
- In French, the word chant can also refer to a 'chant d'oiseau', which is the melodic song of a bird.
Examples in context
- Il est bon chanteur.He is good at singing.This sentence uses chant to describe someone being a good singer.Tatoeba #1316323 by sacredceltic, translation #294489 by CK
- Qu'elle chante bien !How well she is singing!This sentence uses chant to express how well someone is singing.Tatoeba #9665 by sacredceltic, translation #24883 by boink
- Je suis bon en chant.I'm good at singing.This sentence uses chant to describe being good at the activity of singing.Tatoeba #402853 by trotter, translation #256534 by CK
- La passion du chantThe passion for singing
- Le cours de chantThe singing lesson
- Le concours de chantThe singing competition
- La technique du chantThe technique of singing
- J'aime chanterI love singing
- Elle chante très bienShe sings very well
- Il a commencé à chanter à l'âge de 15 ansHe started singing at the age of 15
- Elle aime bien pousser la chansonnette lors des soirées entre amis.She enjoys singing informally during gatherings with friends.
- Je fredonne toujours en faisant la vaisselle.I always hum while doing the dishes.
- Elle fredonnait une mélodie douce.She was humming a sweet melody.
- Quand je suis heureux, je me mets à chantonner.When I'm happy, I start to sing softly.
- 267 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing their hobbies.
- LucasEst-ce que tu aimes le chant ?Do you like singing?
- ManonOui, le chant est ma passion.Yes, singing is my passion.
- LucasTu prends des cours de chant ?Are you taking singing lessons?
- ManonOui, j'en prends depuis un an.Yes, I have been taking them for a year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “singing” translations and entries chant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
