le plus jeune
The English phrase "youngest" is translated into French as le plus jeune.
le plus jeune is the superlative form of the adjective "young".
Meaning: superlative form of young (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is constructed literally as the most young (le = the, plus = more/most, jeune = young).
Which one should you use?
While le plus jeune is the standard superlative, le cadet can be used specifically to mean "the youngest" in the context of siblings or family members.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the person being described, using la plus jeune for a female. The phrase must agree in number, using les plus jeunes when referring to a group of people.
When do people say it?
The term le benjamin is used to emphasize the youngest sibling in a family. The term la benjamine is used to emphasize the youngest sibling in a family.
Did you know?
- While le plus jeune is a general term, the word le benjamin specifically highlights the youngest child in a family. This term is derived from the biblical name Benjamin, who was the youngest son of Jacob.
- In French, the word cadet is also used in military ranks to refer to a junior officer or a student at a military academy.
- While le plus jeune is the direct translation, using le cadet can sometimes imply the second oldest, depending on the regional context and family size.
Examples in context
- Tom est le plus jeune.Tom is the youngest.This sentence shows how to use le plus jeune to identify a specific person.Tatoeba #6114766 by Whidou, translation #2647500 by CK
- Je suis le plus jeune.I'm the youngest.This sentence demonstrates the use of le plus jeune when the subject is "I".Tatoeba #9668536 by Aiji, translation #6537505 by AlanF_US
- Je suis le plus jeune ici.I'm the youngest one here.This sentence shows how to use le plus jeune when specifying a location like "here".Tatoeba #7063851 by Aiji, translation #5858823 by CK
- Mon frère est le plus jeune dans notre famille.My brother is the youngest in our family.
- La personne la plus jeune dans l'équipe est vraiment talentueuse.The youngest person on the team is truly talented.
- Alex est le cadet de notre famille.Alex is the youngest in our family.
- La cadette a toujours été la plus créative de nous trois.The youngest has always been the most creative among the three of us.
- Julien est le benjamin de la famille.Julien is the youngest in the family.
- La benjamine est très douée en musique.The youngest is very talented in music.
- Mon frère est le dernier de la fratrie.My brother is the youngest in the sibling group.
- C'est la dernière de nos enfants.She is the youngest of our children.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are talking about their cousins at a family party.
- GabrielQui est le plus jeune de tes cousins ?Who is the youngest of your cousins?
- ManonC'est Léo, il a seulement trois ans.It's Léo, he is only three years old.
- GabrielIl est donc le plus jeune de la famille.So he is the youngest in the family.
- ManonOui, c'est vrai.Yes, that's true.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
