requin-tigre
masculine
The English phrase tiger shark is translated into French as requin-tigre.
The term refers to the species Galeocerdo cuvier.
Meaning: Galeocerdo cuvier (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This is a compound noun formed by joining requin (shark) and tigre (tiger).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun.
Did you know?
- While requin means 'shark', the word also describes a 'loan shark' in French. A person who lends money at predatory rates is called a requin, mirroring the English metaphor of a predator.
- When pluralizing requin-tigre, French adds an 's' to both components to create requins-tigres.
- If you want to describe a different animal with stripes, such as a striped cat, you would use the adjective tigré rather than the noun tigre used in the shark's name.
Examples in context
- Le requin-tigre chasse le cervidé.The tiger shark hunts the deer.This sentence shows the tiger shark as the subject performing an action with requin-tigre.Tatoeba #12657524 by Orange, translation #12657536 by Orange
- Hier, j'ai vu un requin tigre dans l'océan Atlantique. Il était énorme!Yesterday, I saw a tiger shark in the Atlantic Ocean. It was enormous!
- Le requin-tigre est impressionnant.The tiger shark is impressive.
- J'ai peur du requin-tigre.I am afraid of the tiger shark.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are looking at photos from a diving trip.
- LucasRegarde cette photo de requin-tigre !Look at this photo of a tiger shark!
- ManonIl a l'air impressionnant, Lucas.He looks impressive, Lucas.
- LucasOui, le requin-tigre est fascinant.Yes, the tiger shark is fascinating.
- ManonJe n'oserais pas nager avec lui.I wouldn't dare swim with him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tiger shark” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
