vrai
/vʁɛ/
The English word true is translated into French as vrai.
vrai is an adjective used to describe something that is concurring with a given set of facts. It is often used in the common conversational phrase C'est vrai to mean "That's true" or to express agreement, similar to how an English speaker might say "Indeed".
Meaning: concurring with a given set of facts (adj)
Which one should you use?
The direct antonym of vrai is faux, which is used to denote truth versus falsehood. While vrai is the standard adjective, other words like Réellement (truly or really), Effectivement (indeed or in fact), Carrément (totally or absolutely) and the colloquial expression Vrai de vrai (true or real) may be used depending on the specific nuance and level of formality required.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, vrai must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine singular is vrai, the feminine singular is vraie, the masculine plural is vrais and the feminine plural is vraies.
How do you pronounce it?
/vʁɛ/
Did you know?
- The word vrai shares a common ancestor with the English word 'verdict', which literally means 'to speak the truth'.
- In French, the word vraiment (truly) is frequently used as a filler word or a way to express skepticism, depending on the tone. A rising intonation can turn 'really?' into a question of disbelief rather than a statement of fact.
- While English uses the word 'true' to describe a loyal person, a French speaker would rarely use vrai for loyalty, preferring words like fidèle.
Examples in context
- Vrai ou faux ?True or false?This sentence shows how to ask a true or false question using vrai.Tatoeba #8419112 by Urusai, translation #2358096 by dykova
- Oui, c'est vrai !Yes, it's true!This sentence demonstrates using vrai to express agreement.Tatoeba #3646828 by sacredceltic, translation #2650224 by Hybrid
- Ça se révéla vrai.It turned out to be true.This sentence shows how to use vrai to describe a result that turned out to be true.Tatoeba #916266 by sacredceltic, translation #42093 by CK
- Marie est une vraie amie.Marie is a true friend.
- Ce projet est réellement rentable.This project is truly profitable.
- Le résultat est effectivement impressionnant.The result is indeed impressive.
- Tu as vu son nouveau film ? Il est carrément génial !Did you see his new movie? It's absolutely amazing!
- J'ai grave envie d'y aller !I really want to go!
- 817 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are discussing a news story.
- LéaTu penses que cet article est vrai ?Do you think this article is true?
- HugoJe ne sais pas, ça a l'air bizarre.I don't know, it seems strange.
- LéaMais c'est vrai, j'ai vu la vidéo !But it is true, I saw the video!
- HugoAh, alors je te crois, Léa.Ah, then I believe you, Léa.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “true” translations and entries vrai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vrai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
