vérité
/ve.ʁi.te/feminine
The French word for truth is vérité.
vérité is a noun used to describe conformity to fact or reality.
Meaning: conformity to fact or reality (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word vérité is the noun meaning truth, whereas vrai is the adjective used to mean true.
How does it change in a sentence?
vérité is a feminine noun. When referring to 'the truth', it is almost always used with the definite article la, forming la vérité.
How do you pronounce it?
/ve.ʁi.te/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers sometimes mistakenly use the adjective vrai (true) when they should use the noun vérité (truth) in phrases like 'tell the truth'.
Did you know?
- In French legal or philosophical contexts, one might encounter the term vérité juridique, which refers to a truth that is established by law, even if it contradicts the actual facts.
- The English word 'verity', used to describe a principle or a fundamental truth, is a direct relative of vérité.
- If you want to say 'the truth of the matter', a French person is more likely to use a phrase involving 'la réalité' rather than a direct translation of 'vérité'.
Examples in context
- Dis la vérité !Tell the truth!Tatoeba #1991102 by nimfeo, translation #4687140 by gabtags
- Il dit la vérité.He told the truth.Tatoeba #830266 by sacredceltic, translation #299984 by CK
- Je dis la vérité.I'm telling the truth.Tatoeba #4679015 by sacredceltic, translation #1891146 by CK
- La vérité est toujours préférable à un mensonge.Truth is always preferable to a lie.
- C'est vrai, je suis d'accord avec toi.It's true, I agree with you.
- Tu dois me dire la vérité vraie!You have to tell me the real truth!
- Je te dis la pure vérité, sans aucune exagération.I'm telling you the pure truth, with no exaggeration.
- 1079 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are discussing a surprising piece of news.
- LucasC'est la vérité ?Is it the truth?
- EmmaOui, je te jure que c'est la vérité.Yes, I swear to you it's the truth.
- LucasJe n'arrive pas à croire la vérité.I can't believe the truth.
- EmmaC'est étrange, mais c'est la vérité.It's strange, but it's the truth.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “truth” translations and entries vérité, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vérité, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
