fleur sauvage
The English word 'wildflower' is translated into French as fleur sauvage.
Meaning: wild flowering plant (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of fleur (flower) and sauvage (wild).
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun fleur is feminine, so the adjective sauvage remains in its standard form (it does not change for gender because it already ends in 'e'). To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take an 's'.
Did you know?
- The word fleur shares a common ancestor with the English word 'floor', stemming from a concept of the 'top layer' or 'finest part'.
- In French, you can describe a person as sauvage to mean they are 'unsociable' or 'shy', rather than just 'wild' in a physical sense.
- In French, fleur can be used to describe the 'best part' of something, such as in the phrase la fleur de l'âge for 'the prime of life'.
Examples in context
- Il est magnifique de contempler les vastes champs de fleurs sauvages.It is magnificent to gaze upon vast fields of wildflowers.
- Les scientifiques étudient les cycles de vie des plantes sauvages à fleurs depuis de nombreuses années.Scientists have been studying the life cycles of wild flowering plants for many years.
- J'ai cueilli une fleur sauvage.I picked a wildflower.
- Cette fleur sauvage est très belle.This wildflower is very beautiful.
- J'ai trouvé une fleur sauvage dans le jardin.I found a wildflower in the garden.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are walking through a meadow.
- ManonRegarde cette petite fleur sauvage, Hugo !Look at this little wildflower, Hugo!
- HugoElle est magnifique, Manon.It is magnificent, Manon.
- ManonJe vais la prendre en photo.I am going to take a photo of it.
- HugoC'est une excellente idée.That is an excellent idea.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fleur, sauvage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
