quelque chose de gentil
The French phrase for something nice is quelque chose de gentil.
quelque chose de gentil is used to refer to something nice or a nice gesture. While gentil often describes a person's kind personality, in this specific phrase, it translates to something nice.
Which one should you use?
If you are referring to something that is 'nice' in the sense of being aesthetically pleasing or beautiful, it is more natural to use quelque chose de beau instead of quelque chose de gentil.
How does it change in a sentence?
When an adjective follows quelque chose, you must insert the preposition de before the adjective, as seen in quelque chose de gentil.
Did you know?
- In French, using gentil to describe a man can sometimes sound like you are calling him 'sweet' or 'cute' in a way that lacks masculinity.
- While gentil means 'nice' today, it was used in Old French to describe nobility or high birth.
- The word gentil shares its roots with the word 'gentle' in English, but its Latin ancestor gentīlis originally referred to being part of a 'clan' or 'tribe'.
Examples in context
- Écrivez quelque chose de gentil sur mon plâtre.Write something nice on my cast.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase quelque chose de gentil.Tatoeba #12423013 by lbdx, translation #1205879 by sundown
- Vous êtes très élégant(e) ce soir.You look very elegant tonight.
- Votre tenue est fantastique !Your outfit is fantastic!
- Félicitations pour votre réussite !Congratulations on your success!
- Je suis impressionné(e) par votre travail acharné.I am impressed by your hard work.
- Tu es superbe !You look amazing!
- J'adore ta tenue !I love your outfit!
- Bravo pour ton succès !Bravo on your success!
- Je suis vraiment fier(e) de toi.I am really proud of you.
- Madame, vous êtes une personne vraiment inspirante.Madam, you are a truly inspiring person.
- Monsieur, je tenais à vous féliciter pour votre brillante présentation.Sir, I wanted to congratulate you on your brilliant presentation.
- Tu es vraiment génial(e) !You are really awesome!
- C'est fou comme tu joues bien de la guitare !It's amazing how well you play the guitar!
- Il a dit quelque chose de gentil à la fin.He said something nice at the end.
- Je voudrais dire quelque chose de gentil à ton égard.I would like to say something nice to you.
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are talking about a friend's birthday card.
- ChloéQue veux-tu écrire pour son anniversaire ?What do you want to write for his birthday?
- LucasJe veux écrire quelque chose de gentil.I want to write something nice.
- ChloéC'est une bonne idée, Lucas.That is a good idea, Lucas.
- LucasMerci, Chloé !Thank you, Chloé!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chose, de, gentil, quelque, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
