très beau
The English phrase "very handsome" is translated into French as très beau.
très beau is used to describe a man who is very attractive in appearance. While English often uses "handsome" specifically for men and "beautiful" for women, très beau can be used for both, though it is most common for men when translated as 'handsome'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of très (very) and beau (beautiful/handsome).
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe more than one man, use the masculine plural form très beaux.
Did you know?
- To say a man is 'very handsome' in a very casual, modern way, young people often use the word canon instead of beau.
- French has the phrase faire le beau, which means to show off or preen oneself to attract attention.
- In some contexts, beau can be used ironically to mean 'considerable' or 'impressive' in a negative sense, such as un beau désastre for 'a beautiful disaster'.
Examples in context
- Il est très beau.He is very handsome.Tatoeba #6465556 by Aiji, translation #400911 by CK
- Matthew va bientôt se marier, il fera un très beau marié.Matthew is soon to be married, he will make a very handsome bridegroom.Tatoeba #10458566 by lbdx, translation #3151947 by Vanilla
- Tu es très beau.You look very handsome.Tatoeba #1113916 by Scott, translation #3163266 by Hybrid
- Vous êtes vraiment très beau dans ce costume.You look really handsome in that suit.
- Vous êtes vraiment séduisant.You are really handsome.
- Tu es vraiment un très beau gosse!You are really very handsome!
- T'es vachement beau, mec!You're really handsome, dude!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are looking at a photo in a magazine.
- ChloéRegarde cet acteur, il est très beau !Look at this actor, he is very handsome!
- HugoOui, il est vraiment très beau.Yes, he is truly very handsome.
- ChloéTu penses qu'il est charmant ?Do you think he is charming?
- HugoAbsolument, il est magnifique.Absolutely, he is magnificent.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
