piscine
/pi.sin/feminine
The French word for swimming pool is piscine.
The word piscine refers to the physical structure of a swimming pool. It is also commonly used to refer to the entire public swimming pool facility or pool center.
Meaning: pool for swimming (noun)
Which one should you use?
While piscine is the standard term, you might encounter bassin de natation in more formal contexts. For a small or private swimming pool, the informal term piscinette is often used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Switzerland, the term pataugeoire is used to refer to a paddling pool or a shallow pool for children.
How does it change in a sentence?
piscine is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/pi.sin/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse piscine with the English adjective 'piscine' (meaning relating to fish). In modern French, piscine is used almost exclusively as a noun for a swimming pool.
Did you know?
- In France, public pools are often governed by strict hygiene rules that require swimmers to wear a bonnet de bain, or swimming cap, regardless of their gender or age.
- The Latin root of piscine is 'piscina', which originally meant a fishpond rather than a place for human swimming.
- In French culture, the concept of a piscine is often linked to the maître-nageur, a certified lifeguard who often has a more authoritative role in managing the pool than lifeguards in the US.
Examples in context
- À la piscine !To the swimming pool!This sentence is useful for expressing excitement about going to the swimming pool.Tatoeba #7477639 by Micsmithel, translation #464246 by lukaszpp
- Je veux une piscine.I want a swimming pool.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to have a swimming pool.Tatoeba #4437916 by Jack3d, translation #6018499 by mailohilohi
- Elle a une piscine chauffée.She has a heated swimming pool.This sentence is useful for describing a specific type of swimming pool.Tatoeba #3292056 by Micsmithel, translation #1934853 by Spamster
- Excusez-moi, où est la piscine la plus proche?Excuse me, where is the nearest swimming pool?
- Le bassin de natation sera fermé demain pour entretien.The swimming pool will be closed tomorrow for maintenance.
- On se retrouve à la piscine après le travail?Shall we meet at the swimming pool after work?
- Si tu veux te rafraîchir, il y a une piscinette dans mon jardin.If you want to cool off, there's a small pool in my garden.
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are deciding on a place to go for the afternoon.
- EmmaOn va à la piscine ?Shall we go to the swimming pool?
- LucasOui, c'est une bonne idée.Yes, that is a good idea.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'elle est grande, la piscine ?Is the swimming pool large?
- LucasOui, elle est très grande.Yes, it is very large.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “swimming pool” translations and entries piscine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piscine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
