femme
/fam/feminine
The English word 'wife' is translated into French as femme. Wiktionary also lists épouse.
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| femme | /fam/ | feminine |
| épouse | /e.puz/ | feminine |
Both provided forms refer to a female partner in a marriage.
Which one should you use?
In everyday spoken French, femme is the standard way to refer to one's wife, whereas épouse sounds more official or literary.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
épouse is a more formal and administrative term for 'wife' than femme.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both femme and épouse are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/fam/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers should be aware that ma femme can mean both 'my wife' and 'my woman', though in most contexts it is understood as 'my wife'.
Did you know?
- Deeply embedded in the word femme is an ancient biological connection to 'nursing' or 'breastfeeding', stemming from an Indo-European root describing the act of suckling.
Examples in context
- Ma femme me bat.My wife beats me.This sentence shows how to use femme in a personal context.Tatoeba #1995327 by sacredceltic, translation #1127469 by CM
- Est-ce ta femme ?Is that your wife?This sentence shows how to use femme when asking a question.Tatoeba #4983494 by franlexcois, translation #3737771 by CK
- Ta femme est ici.Your wife is here.This sentence shows how to use femme to state someone's location.Tatoeba #6843566 by Aiji, translation #4495073 by CK
- J'ai pris cette décision avec ma conjointe .I made this decision with my spouse.
- Ma femme et moi aimons voyager.My wife and I enjoy traveling.
- 918 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan is introducing his spouse to Manon at a party.
- ManonQui est cette personne ?Who is this person?
- NathanC'est ma femme, Julie.This is my wife, Julie.
- ManonEnchantée de vous rencontrer !Nice to meet you!
- NathanMa femme est ravie aussi.My wife is delighted too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations and entries femme, épouse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries femme, épouse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
