beau-père
/bo.pɛʁ/
The English phrase 'step father' is translated into French as beau-père.
beau-père refers to the man who is married to one's mother but is not one's biological father. Depending on the context of a conversation, it can also refer to a father-in-law.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is a compound of beau, meaning handsome or fine and père, meaning father.
Which one should you use?
While beau-père is the standard term for both a stepfather and a father-in-law, the intended meaning is determined by the context of the situation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of beau-père, both parts of the compound change: the adjective takes an 'x' and the noun takes an 's' to become beaux-pères.
How do you pronounce it?
/bo.pɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The term beau-père is part of a systemic French naming convention where all in-laws are described as 'beautiful', such as beau-frère for brother-in-law.
- In many French families, a child might call their stepfather papa instead of beau-père to show a closer emotional bond. This avoids the formal or distant feeling that the standard term can sometimes carry.
- Historically, the term appeared in Middle French in forms such as biau pere and beaupere before the modern hyphenated version became standard.
Examples in context
- Mon beau-père est très gentil.My stepfather is very kind.
- Elle a rencontré son beau-père hier.She met her stepfather yesterday.
- Je vais manger chez mon beau-père.I am going to eat at my stepfather's house.
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are talking about family during a coffee break.
- NathanComment va ton beau-père, Manon ?How is your stepfather, Manon?
- ManonIl va très bien, merci Nathan.He is doing very well, thanks Nathan.
- NathanC'est super d'entendre ça.That's great to hear.
- ManonOui, il est très sympa.Yes, he is very nice.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry beau-père, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beau-père, CC BY-SA 4.0.
