maillot jaune
/ma.jo ʒon/masculine
The English phrase "yellow jersey" is translated into French as maillot jaune.
The term refers to the jersey worn by the leader of a stage in a cycling race, and by extension, it is used to refer to the cyclist who wins the race with the fastest overall time. In French, it is used metonymically to refer to the overall leader of the race.
Meaning: yellow jersey or shirt worn by the leader of a stage of a cycling race, which is then awarded to the cyclist who wins the race with the fastest overall time (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of maillot, meaning jersey or shirt and jaune, meaning yellow.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun maillot is masculine, so the definite article le is used to say "the yellow jersey" (le maillot jaune). To form the plural, both the noun maillot and the adjective jaune take an s to become les maillots jaunes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ma.jo ʒon/
Did you know?
- The maillot jaune was chosen because the newspaper L'Auto, which created the Tour de France, was printed on yellow paper.
- The word maillot shares a root with maille, which refers to the interlocking metal rings of a medieval suit of chainmail armor.
- French speakers occasionally use the expression porter le maillot jaune to describe anyone who is currently the most successful or prominent person in a specific field.
Examples in context
- Contador a gagné le maillot jaune au Tour de France.Contador won the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use maillot jaune when discussing a winner of the Tour de France.Tatoeba #512659 by SUZIE, translation #512503 by blay_paul
- Le maillot jaune est porté par le leader du Tour de France.The yellow jersey is worn by the leader of the Tour de France.
- Wow, regarde son maillot jaune fluo, on ne peut pas le manquer !Wow, look at his fluorescent yellow jersey, you can't miss it!
- Il a franchi la ligne d'arrivée en premier et a revêtu le maillot jaune de leader.He crossed the finish line first and put on the leader's yellow jersey.
- Il porte le maillot jaune aujourd'hui.He is wearing the yellow jersey today.
- Le coureur rêve de gagner le maillot jaune.The rider dreams of winning the yellow jersey.
Example conversation
Two friends are watching a cycling race on television.
- ChloéRegarde, il a pris le maillot jaune !Look, he took the yellow jersey!
- NathanC'est incroyable, il est très rapide.It's incredible, he is very fast.
- ChloéTu penses qu'il va le garder ?Do you think he will keep it?
- NathanIl a l'air très fort cette année.He looks very strong this year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yellow jersey” translations and entries maillot jaune, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jaune, maillot, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
