Jeune
/ʒœn/
The French word for young is Jeune.
Jeune is the standard adjective used to describe someone or something belonging to the early part of life. It can also be used as a noun, where un jeune refers to a young person or a youth. If you wish to refer to the state or condition of being young, you should use the noun jeunesse.
Meaning: belonging in the early part of life (adj)
Which one should you use?
While jeune is the general adjective, other words are used for specific contexts. Within a family, cadet is a masculine noun used for a younger sibling and cadette is the feminine version. If you are referring to a child or a young person informally, you might use gamin.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective jeune remains the same in both masculine and feminine forms. To express the plural, add an 's' to form jeunes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒœn/
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase jeune fille literally means 'young girl', but it is often used as a polite or traditional term for an unmarried woman regardless of her actual age.
- French uses the word cadet for the youngest sibling, which is a cognate of the English word 'cadet'. In English, the term shifted from meaning 'youngest son' to referring to a military trainee.
- The word jeune is a distant relative of the English word 'juvenile', both tracing back to the same Latin root 'iuvenis'.
Examples in context
- Tu es si jeune.You're so young.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone is very young.Tatoeba #12334056 by lbdx, translation #1895566 by CK
- Il est si jeune.He's so young.This sentence is useful for expressing that a male is very young.Tatoeba #1911619 by sacredceltic, translation #1901646 by Spamster
- Il a l'air jeune.He looks young.This sentence is useful for describing how someone looks.Tatoeba #1273308 by sacredceltic, translation #299157 by CK
- Mon frère cadet vient de terminer ses études.My younger brother just finished his studies.
- Il est toujours accompagné de sa bande de jeunots.He is always accompanied by his group of youngsters.
- Jeunes enfantsYoung children
- Jeunes fillesYoung girls
- Jeunes hommesYoung men
- 1011 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are talking about a new coworker.
- NathanLe nouveau collègue est très jeune.The new colleague is very young.
- EmmaOui, il a quel âge ?Yes, how old is he?
- NathanIl est jeune, mais il est compétent.He is young, but he is competent.
- EmmaC'est une bonne chose pour l'équipe.That is a good thing for the team.
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry jeune.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jeune, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
