fils
/fis/
The English word "sons" is translated into French as fils.
fils is used to refer to the male children of a parent.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word fils is identical in both its singular and plural forms, meaning the spelling does not change whether you are talking about one son or multiple sons.
How do you pronounce it?
/fis/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce fils as /fil/ (rhyming with 'eel'), forgetting to pronounce the final 's'.
Did you know?
- The word fils is a cognate of the Spanish 'hijo' and the Italian 'figlio'.
- The modern pronunciation of fils is one of the few remaining examples where a final 's' is regularly audible, similar to the word ours meaning 'bear'.
Examples in context
- Il a trois fils.He has three sons.This sentence is useful for practicing the form fils in a context of possession.Tatoeba #430773 by Archibald, translation #430778 by Archibald
- Tom eut trois fils.Tom had three sons.This sentence shows the use of fils in a past tense context.Tatoeba #12241363 by Rovo, translation #4493723 by CK
- Nous avons deux fils.We have two sons.Tatoeba #1160010 by sacredceltic, translation #2929975 by Gulo_Luscus
- Mes fils sont intelligents.My sons are intelligent.
- J'ai deux garçons.I have two sons.
- Mes fils étudient à l'université.My sons are studying at the university.
- Les fils du roi ont des responsabilités importantes.The king's sons have important responsibilities.
- 89 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are looking at old family photographs.
- GabrielEst-ce que ce sont tes fils ?Are these your sons?
- EmmaOui, ce sont mes deux fils.Yes, they are my two sons.
- GabrielIls sont très grands maintenant.They are very tall now.
- EmmaC'est vrai, le temps passe vite.It's true, time flies.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
