âme
/am/feminine
The English word "soul" is translated into French as âme.
âme refers to the spirit or essence of a person, often believed to live on after death. It is used in several common French expressions: âme sœur is the standard way to say "soulmate", bonne âme means "good soul", grande âme means "great soul" and corps et âme is used to express the phrase "heart and soul".
Meaning: the spirit or essence of a person that is often believed to live on after the person's death (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
âme is a feminine noun. You must use feminine articles and adjectives when describing it, such as une âme.
How do you pronounce it?
/am/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because âme begins with a vowel, the definite article la elides to l'. You should write l'âme instead of la âme.
Did you know?
- The French word âme shares the same ancient root as the English word 'animal'. Both come from the Latin 'anima', which originally meant 'breath' or 'life'.
- In French, you can call someone a petite âme to describe them as timid or lacking in courage, rather than describing their spiritual size.
- The French word âme can be applied to an inanimate object or a building to describe its unique character or 'spirit'.
Examples in context
- Dieu ait son âme.God rest his soul.This sentence is useful for expressing a wish for a person's soul to rest in peace using âme.Tatoeba #10510846 by pkill, translation #13884304 by menaud
- Il a vendu son âme.He sold his soul.This sentence uses âme to describe the act of selling one's soul.Tatoeba #10212710 by lbdx, translation #9702646 by Nylez
- Mon âme est au ciel.My soul is in the sky.This sentence describes the location of the âme.Tatoeba #862313 by sacredceltic, translation #521636 by FeuDRenais
- Les âmes sœurs se rencontrent souvent dans cette vie.Soulmates often meet in this life.
- 131 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a philosophical book in a café.
- GabrielL'auteur parle de l'âme humaine.The author speaks about the human soul.
- LéaC'est un sujet très profond.It is a very deep subject.
- GabrielPenses-tu que l'âme est éternelle ?Do you think the soul is eternal?
- LéaGabriel, c'est une question complexe.Gabriel, that is a complex question.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soul” translations and entries âme, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries âme, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
