belle-sœur
/bɛl.sœʁ/
The French phrase for "sister-in-law" is belle-sœur.
belle-sœur is used to refer to the sister of one's spouse, the wife of one's sibling or the wife of one's spouse's sibling.
What does it mean word for word?
The term belle-sœur literally translates to "beautiful sister".
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, both the adjective and the noun are pluralized to create belles-sœurs (sisters-in-law).
How do you pronounce it?
/bɛl.sœʁ/
Did you know?
- French uses the same prefix belle for a stepmother belle-mère as it does for a mother-in-law.
- In historical French literature, calling someone a belle-sœur could occasionally be a play on words, using the literal meaning of 'beautiful sister' to compliment a woman's appearance and her relationship simultaneously.
- The phrase belle-sœur is an example of a compound noun where the adjective precedes the noun, which is a common pattern for established family roles in French.
Examples in context
- Je vous présente ma belle-sœur, Sophie.Let me introduce you to my sister-in-law, Sophie.
- C'est ma sœur par alliance, Marie.She is my sister-in-law, Marie.
- La sœur de mon conjoint, Émilie, est très sympathique.My spouse's sister, Émilie, is very friendly.
- Ma belle-sœur est très sympathique.My sister-in-law is very nice.
- Je vais dîner avec ma belle-sœur.I am going to have dinner with my sister-in-law.
- Est-ce que ta belle-sœur habite ici ?Does your sister-in-law live here?
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are talking about family members at a cafe.
- EmmaComment va ta belle-sœur, Lucas ?How is your sister-in-law, Lucas?
- LucasElle va très bien, merci.She is doing very well, thank you.
- EmmaC'est super, elle est très gentille.That's great, she is very kind.
- LucasOui, elle est vraiment adorable.Yes, she is truly lovely.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry belle-sœur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
