fois
/fwa/
The English word 'times' is translated into French as fois.
In a mathematical context, fois is used as a preposition meaning 'multiplied by'.
Meaning: multiplied by (prep)
Which one should you use?
When performing multiplication, such as saying 'three times three', use fois in common speech instead of the more literal multiplié par.
How do you pronounce it?
/fwa/
Did you know?
- Linguists suspect the 'f' in fois appeared because of how numbers like 'two' or 'seven' were pronounced right before it, essentially 'bleeding' their sound into the word.
- Even though fois sounds nothing like the Spanish or Portuguese word vez, they are actually the same word, just evolved differently.
- The phrase une fois pour toutes means 'once and for all', emphasizing a final resolution.
Examples in context
- Il a calé trois fois.He stalled the engine three times.This sentence shows how to use fois to count occurrences of an action.Tatoeba #10514702 by lbdx, translation #288531 by CK
- Tom a tiré trois fois.Tom shot three times.This sentence demonstrates using fois to count occurrences of an action.Tatoeba #6892194 by Rockaround, translation #5858589 by CK
- J'ai fait ça mille fois.I've done this a thousand times.This sentence illustrates the use of fois when discussing how many times something has been done.Tatoeba #6067114 by Aiji, translation #2359474 by CK
- midi12:00
- trois heures quinze3:15
- six heures et demie6:30
- neuf heures quarante-cinq9:45
- À quelle heure?At what time?
- 538 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are doing their math homework together.
- LucasCombien font deux fois six ?How much is two times six?
- ChloéÇa fait douze, Lucas.It is twelve, Lucas.
- LucasEt trois fois sept alors ?And what about three times seven?
- ChloéC'est vingt et un, Chloé.It's twenty-one, Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “times” translations and entries fois, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fois, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
