ouest
/wɛst/masculine
The English word 'west' can be translated into French as ouest, occident or ponant depending on the context.
Meaning: compass point (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ouest | /wɛst/ | masculine |
| ponant | /pɔ.nɑ̃/ | |
| occident | /ɔk.si.dɑ̃/ | masculine |
The primary way to express the compass direction is through the masculine noun ouest. You can also use the adverbial phrase vers l'ouest to mean 'towards the west'.
Which one should you use?
ouest is the standard term for the compass direction. In contrast, occident refers to the Western world or Western civilization rather than a cardinal direction. ponant is a literary or archaic term used for the west, often found in historical or maritime contexts to describe where the sun sets.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to the west as a specific geographic region, you must use the definite article, which becomes l'ouest due to elision.
How do you pronounce it?
/wɛst/
Did you know?
- Because ouest is a loanword from Old English, it represents a rare instance where English helped shape the French compass directions.
- Maritime history in France often utilized ponant to describe the winds coming from the west.
Examples in context
- Elle est à l’ouest.She's in the west.This sentence shows how to use ouest to describe a person's location in the west.Tatoeba #10508181 by pkill, translation #13419597 by frpzzd
- Tom est allé à l'ouest.Tom went west.This sentence illustrates using ouest to describe a direction of travel.Tatoeba #9253021 by Micsmithel, translation #1140875 by CK
- Je suis de la côte Ouest.I'm from the West Coast.This sentence demonstrates the use of ouest when referring to a specific region like the West Coast.Tatoeba #2028522 by sacredceltic, translation #1912020 by Spamster
- Paris est située à l'ouest de Strasbourg.Paris is located west of Strasbourg.
- Je suis allé voir le coucher de soleil à l'ouest.I went to see the sunset in the west.
- Le parc se trouve à l'ouest du centre-ville.The park is located west of downtown.
- 104 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are hiking on a mountain trail.
- LucasLe soleil se couche à l'ouest.The sun is setting in the west.
- EmmaOn doit marcher vers l'ouest.We have to walk towards the west.
- LucasEst-ce que la route est à l'ouest ?Is the road to the west?
- EmmaOui, elle est juste là-bas.Yes, it is right over there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “west” translations and entries ouest, ponant, occident, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries occident, ouest, ponant, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
