soixante
/swa.sɑ̃t/masculine
Sixty in French is soixante.
soixante is the cardinal number used to represent the quantity sixty.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
Which one should you use?
In standard French, the number seventy is expressed as soixante-dix, which literally means sixty-ten.
How does it change in a sentence?
soixante is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/swa.sɑ̃t/
When do people say it?
The phrase soixante balais (literally 'sixty brooms') is used in a playful, informal manner when referring to the number.
Did you know?
- While standard French uses soixante-dix for seventy, in Belgium and Switzerland, the word septante is used instead.
- The phrase soixante balais uses the word for 'brooms' as a slang term for years of age.
- The spelling of soixante hides its mathematical origin, as it evolved from the Latin 'sexaginta' which clearly contains the root for 'six'.
Examples in context
- Il a soixante ans.He is sixty years old.This sentence is useful for expressing someone's age.Tatoeba #8031033 by theachaean, translation #8910532 by sundown
- Il a près de soixante ans.He is close to sixty.This sentence is useful for saying someone is close to a certain age.Tatoeba #130645 by Julien_PDC, translation #288618 by CK
- Elle a presque soixante ans.She's almost sixty.This sentence is useful for saying someone is almost a certain age.Tatoeba #909817 by sacredceltic, translation #9195477 by sundown
- Il y a soixante personnes dans la salle.There are sixty people in the room.
- J'ai rencontré une soixantaine d'amis à la fête.I met around sixty friends at the party.
- 49 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is checking the price of a book at a shop.
- ManonC'est combien pour ce livre ?How much is this book?
- GabrielIl coûte soixante euros.It costs sixty euros.
- ManonC'est un peu cher pour moi.It is a bit expensive for me.
- GabrielJe comprends, Gabriel.I understand, Gabriel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sixty” translations and entries soixante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soixante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
