œuvres
/œvʁ/
The French word for works is œuvres.
The term œuvres is specifically used for creative, artistic or literary productions rather than industrial or manual labor.
Which one should you use?
While œuvres refers to artistic or literary creations, travail refers to labor or a person's job.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Chantiers is a term often used in Quebec to refer to construction works.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the word is œuvre.
How do you pronounce it?
/œvʁ/
Did you know?
- The phrase chef-d'œuvre translates to 'masterpiece' and literally means 'the work of the head'. It comes from the medieval guild system where an apprentice had to produce a 'master work' to be promoted to a master craftsman.
- The letter 'œ' in œuvre is called a ligature. While it looks like one character, it is technically two letters, 'o' and 'e', joined together into a single glyph.
- In French, the expression mettre la main à l'œuvre means 'to get to work'. While œuvres refers to art, this specific idiom uses the word to describe the physical act of starting a task.
Examples in context
- J'ai lu une de ses œuvres.I read one of his works.This sentence shows how to use œuvres when referring to a single piece of a person's body of work.Tatoeba #1951259 by sacredceltic, translation #1807068 by pne
- Je possède les œuvres complètes de Shakespeare.I have the complete works of Shakespeare.This sentence demonstrates how to use œuvres when discussing the complete collections of an author.Tatoeba #822269 by sacredceltic, translation #253868 by CK
- L'artiste a mis ses œuvres dans le domaine public.The artist released her works into the public domain.This sentence illustrates the use of œuvres in the context of intellectual property and the public domain.Tatoeba #11045234 by lbdx, translation #11042996 by shekitten
- Les travaux de recherche étaient très intéressantsThe research works were very interesting
- Les œuvres de Monet sont exposées au muséeMonet's works are exhibited in the museum
- Les travaux de rénovation sont prévus pour l'année prochaineThe renovation works are planned for next year
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are visiting an art museum.
- LéaCes œuvres sont magnifiques.These works are magnificent.
- HugoOui, l'artiste est très talentueux.Yes, the artist is very talented.
- LéaEst-ce que tu connais ses autres œuvres ?Do you know his other works?
- HugoNon, je ne les connais pas.No, I do not know them.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry œuvres, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
