fils
/fis/masculine
The French word for son is fils.
The term fils refers to a male person in relation to his parents. In a religious context, the capitalized form Fils refers to one of the three persons of the Trinity.
Meaning: a male person in relation to his parents (noun)
Which one should you use?
While fils is the standard term, you may encounter Fiston to express affection or Gamin to refer to a son as a kid or young boy in informal settings.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word fils is the same in both its singular and plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/fis/
Did you know?
- While the final s in fils is silent in modern standard French, it was regularly pronounced in the Middle Ages and remains audible in some regional dialects.
- The word fils is a direct relative of the English word 'filial', used in terms like 'filial piety' or 'filial duty'.
- In French legal and formal genealogy, the term fils is used strictly, whereas in casual speech, parents may refer to their son using terms of endearment that strip the familial title entirely.
Examples in context
- Il a un fils.He has a son.This sentence shows how to state that someone has a fils.Tatoeba #3482993 by Lulantis, translation #2870268 by Amastan
- Fils de pute !Son of a bitch!This sentence demonstrates the use of fils in a vulgar insult.Tatoeba #1318446 by Mutusen, translation #1743206 by Djef_Messaoudi
- Tu es mon fils.You're my son.This sentence shows how to address someone directly as your fils.Tatoeba #2351929 by Amastan, translation #1895593 by CK
- Mon fils est un étudiant brillant.My son is a brilliant student.
- Son enfant est très talentueux.His/Her child is very talented.
- Je suis fier de mon fiston.I am proud of my son.
- Mon gamin adore jouer au foot.My son loves playing soccer.
- 749 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are looking at a family photo.
- GabrielC'est mon fils sur cette photo.That is my son in this photo.
- ManonIl est très mignon, Gabriel.He is very cute, Gabriel.
- GabrielMerci, mon fils a cinq ans.Thank you, my son is five years old.
- ManonIl ressemble beaucoup à son père.He looks a lot like his father.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “son” translations and entries fils, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fils, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
