femme célibataire
The English phrase 'unmarried woman' translates to French as femme célibataire.
The phrase is used to describe a woman who is not currently married.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of femme (woman) and célibataire (single/unmarried).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because femme is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine indefinite article une when saying 'an unmarried woman' (une femme célibataire).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use femme seule to mean 'unmarried woman'. The word seule specifically implies being physically alone or solitary.
Did you know?
- The word femme descends from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'the one nursing' or 'breastfeeding'.
- While femme célibataire is the standard term, in older or more formal literature, you might encounter the term demoiselle to refer specifically to an unmarried woman.
- The word femme follows a strange spelling rule where the first 'e' is actually pronounced as an 'a' sound, making it sound like 'fam'.
Examples in context
- Elle est célibataireShe is single.
- Une femme non mariéeAn unmarried woman
- Marie est une jeune fille célibataire et heureuse.Marie is an unmarried and happy young woman.
- Elles sont toutes des femmes non mariées.They are all unmarried women.
- Je cherche une femme célibataire pour ce rôle.I am looking for an unmarried woman for this role.
- Cette femme célibataire cherche un emploi.This unmarried woman is looking for a job.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing a new colleague.
- NathanEst-ce que la nouvelle collègue est mariée ?Is the new colleague married?
- ChloéNon, c'est une femme célibataire.No, she is an unmarried woman.
- NathanAh, je ne savais pas.Oh, I didn't know.
- ChloéOui, elle voyage beaucoup seule.Yes, she travels a lot alone.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries célibataire, femme, CC BY-SA 4.0.
