portefeuille
/pɔʁ.tə.fœj/masculine
The French word for wallet is portefeuille.
portefeuille refers to a case used for keeping money and cards.
Meaning: case for keeping money (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word portefeuille is a compound of porter (to carry) and feuille (sheet, leaf or paper), literally meaning 'paper carrier'.
Which one should you use?
While portefeuille is used for a wallet containing money and cards, porte-monnaie is specifically used to refer to a coin purse.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, portefeuille remains widely used. In Switzerland, portemonnaie is commonly used to refer to a wallet.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word portefeuille is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /pɔʁ.tə.fœj/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French politics, a portefeuille is used metaphorically to describe a minister's specific area of responsibility or 'portfolio'.
- The word portefeuille is a cognate of the English word 'portfolio', as both share the same root meaning a carrier of sheets.
- The term portefeuille originally referred to a case for carrying loose papers or documents before it became the word for a money wallet.
Examples in context
- Est-ce ton portefeuille ?Is this your wallet?This sentence is useful for asking if a wallet belongs to someone.Tatoeba #6616125 by GB3, translation #6602144 by CK
- Son portefeuille était volé.He had his wallet stolen.This sentence is useful for describing a stolen wallet.Tatoeba #132106 by dominiko, translation #296855 by CK
- Tom ouvrit son portefeuille.Tom opened his wallet.This sentence is useful for describing the action of opening a wallet.Tatoeba #12822436 by Rovo, translation #12886297 by rul
- Après avoir payé, il rangea son argent dans son porte-monnaie.After paying, he put his money back into his wallet.
- Il avait perdu son portefeuille contenant toutes ses cartes d'identité.He had lost his wallet containing all his identification cards.
- J'ai oublié mon portefeuille à la maison, je dois rentrer le chercher.I forgot my wallet at home, I have to go back and get it.
- 146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a cafe, Nathan realizes he cannot pay.
- NathanEmma, je ne trouve plus mon portefeuille.Emma, I can't find my wallet anymore.
- EmmaRegarde dans ton sac, Nathan.Look in your bag, Nathan.
- NathanAh, le voilà !Ah, there it is!
- EmmaTu es vraiment distrait aujourd'hui.You are really distracted today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wallet” translations and entries portefeuille, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries portefeuille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
