We've all been there, having trouble finding that perfect word or phrase to describe something basic — even our own looks! But, with this comprehensive guide, we’ll equip you with straightforward, effective ways to describe your visage (face) and tête (head) when speaking French.
Ready to delve deeper into the rich realm of French descriptive vocabulary? Without further ado, let's get started by breaking down some essential words for accurately depicting aspects of your physical appearance!
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Why Learn French Names for Body Parts?
Learning French names for body parts comes with a multitude of benefits.
Firstly, it can be useful during trips to France, particularly in medical emergencies where swift and precise communication with healthcare professionals is crucial.
In addition, incorporating French sayings and idiomatic expressions that include references to body parts within your vocabulary can help you to better understand French culture and also make you sound more fluent and natural when speaking the language.
Beyond these practical applications, acquiring knowledge of French body part names brings an opportunity to expand your linguistic skills and can spark interesting dialogues with both native French speakers and fellow language enthusiasts.
The Basics
When describing your face and head in French, there are a few key terms that you should be familiar with. Let's start with the most basic ones and see how to use them in sample sentences:
French Word | English Translation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
le visage | face | Mon visage est rond. | My face is round. |
la tête | head | Quand je suis stressé, j'ai mal à la tête. | When I'm stressed, I have a headache. |
les cheveux | hair | J'ai les cheveux courts et bouclés. | I have short, curly hair. |
le front | forehead | J'ai un front large et lisse. | I have a wide, smooth forehead. |
les sourcils | eyebrows | Mes sourcils sont épais et foncés. | My eyebrows are thick and dark. |
les yeux | eyes | J'ai les yeux bleus. | I have blue eyes. |
le nez | nose | J'ai un petit nez droit. | I have a small, straight nose. |
la bouche | mouth | Ma bouche est petite. | My mouth is small. |
le lèvres | lips | Mes lèvres sont pleines. | My lips are full. |
French Word | English Translation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
le visage | face | Mon visage est rond. | My face is round. |
la tête | head | Quand je suis stressé, j'ai mal à la tête. | When I'm stressed, I have a headache. |
les cheveux | hair | J'ai les cheveux courts et bouclés. | I have short, curly hair. |
le front | forehead | J'ai un front large et lisse. | I have a wide, smooth forehead. |
les sourcils | eyebrows | Mes sourcils sont épais et foncés. | My eyebrows are thick and dark. |
les yeux | eyes | J'ai les yeux bleus. | I have blue eyes. |
le nez | nose | J'ai un petit nez droit. | I have a small, straight nose. |
la bouche | mouth | Ma bouche est petite. | My mouth is small. |
le lèvres | lips | Mes lèvres sont pleines. | My lips are full. |
Face Parts in French
Now that we've covered the basics, let's expand our vocabulary to include more specific head and facial features. These terms may come in handy when you want to describe yourself or someone else in more detail:
French Word | English Translation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
les joues | cheeks | Quand elle rit, ses joues deviennent roses. | When she laughs, her cheeks turn pink. |
le menton | chin | Il a un menton carré qui lui donne un air déterminé. | He has a square chin, which gives him a determined look. |
les oreilles | ears | Elle a de petites oreilles qui sont toujours couvertes par ses cheveux. | She has small ears that are always covered by her hair. |
la barbe | beard | Il porte une barbe bien taillée grise et noire. | He sports a neatly trimmed black and gray beard. |
la moustache | mustache | Sa moustache est mince et bien entretenue. | His mustache is thin and well-groomed. |
les cils | eyelashes | Ses cils longs et épais font ressortir ses yeux verts. | Her long, thick eyelashes accentuate her green eyes. |
les pommettes | cheekbones | Ses pommettes hautes lui donnent un air noble. | Her high cheekbones give her a noble look. |
les rides | wrinkles | Ses rides lui donnent un air sage et expérimenté. | His wrinkles give him an air of wisdom and experience. |
le cou | neck | Elle porte toujours un foulard pour couvrir son cou. | She always wears a scarf to cover her neck. |
le front dégarni | receding hairline | Il est complexé par son front dégarni. | He is self-conscious about his receding hairline. |
French Word | English Translation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
les joues | cheeks | Quand elle rit, ses joues deviennent roses. | When she laughs, her cheeks turn pink. |
le menton | chin | Il a un menton carré qui lui donne un air déterminé. | He has a square chin, which gives him a determined look. |
les oreilles | ears | Elle a de petites oreilles qui sont toujours couvertes par ses cheveux. | She has small ears that are always covered by her hair. |
la barbe | beard | Il porte une barbe bien taillée grise et noire. | He sports a neatly trimmed black and gray beard. |
la moustache | mustache | Sa moustache est mince et bien entretenue. | His mustache is thin and well-groomed. |
les cils | eyelashes | Ses cils longs et épais font ressortir ses yeux verts. | Her long, thick eyelashes accentuate her green eyes. |
les pommettes | cheekbones | Ses pommettes hautes lui donnent un air noble. | Her high cheekbones give her a noble look. |
les rides | wrinkles | Ses rides lui donnent un air sage et expérimenté. | His wrinkles give him an air of wisdom and experience. |
le cou | neck | Elle porte toujours un foulard pour couvrir son cou. | She always wears a scarf to cover her neck. |
le front dégarni | receding hairline | Il est complexé par son front dégarni. | He is self-conscious about his receding hairline. |
Helpful Descriptive Words
Now that we have a good grasp of the basic terms, let's take it one step further by incorporating some adjectives to describe specific features of the face and head. Here are some examples:
Face Features
- Les yeux (eyes):
French
English
grands
large
petits
small
en amande
almond-shaped
bridés
hooded
- La bouche (mouth):
French
English
grande
big
petite
small
pulpeuse
full-lipped
fine
thin-lipped
- Le nez (nose):
French
English
long
long
court
short
aquilin
aquiline, narrow
retroussé
turned up
- Les joues (cheeks):
French
English
creuses
sunken
joufflues
chubby
saillantes
prominent
- Le visage (face):
French
English
ovale
oval
carré
square
allongé
elongated
round
round
triangulaire
triangular
- Les sourcils (eyebrows):
French
English
épais
thick
fins
thin
arqués
arched
droits
straight
Now, let's use these French adjectives to describe some different faces and heads:
French
English
Elle a de grands yeux en amande qui lui donnent un regard mystérieux.
She has large, almond-shaped eyes that give her a mysterious look.
Ses sourcils épais et arqués lui donnent un regard perçant.
Her thick, arched eyebrows give her a piercing gaze.
Son visage allongé est encadré par ses longs cheveux bruns.
Her elongated face is framed by her long brown hair.
Hair Color
Whether we're going for a dramatic change with a new haircut or simply experimenting with different products and coloring techniques, our hair can be a fun and expressive part of who we are.
Understanding hair colors in French can add more depth to your conversation. Here are some examples:
French
English
couleur de cheveux
hair color
blond
blonde
brune
brunette
rousse
redhead
châtain
chestnut brown
noire
black
grise
grey
For more color names in French, make sure to check our separate article on the subject.
Hairstyles
French hairdos can range from simple to sophisticated. Here are some French words for different hairstyles:
French
English
coiffure
hairstyle
les cheveux courts
short hair
les cheveux longs
long hair
les cheveux bouclés
curly hair
les cheveux raides
straight hair
une queue de cheval
ponytail
un chignon
bun
une tresse
braid
un carré
bob cut
une range
bangs
les mèches
highlights
Beauty & Make-up Related French Vocabulary
Looking good often means different things to different people, but one thing is for sure — make-up and beauty products help us all feel a bit more confident in our own skin. If you're interested in French beauty products or just want to add some basic French vocabulary to your beauty routine, we've got you covered.
French Word | English Translation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
maquillage | makeup | Elle a mis du maquillage pour la fête. | She put on makeup for the party. |
beauté | beauty | La beauté est dans l'œil de celui qui regarded. | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. |
rouge à lèvres | lipstick | J'ai oublié mon rouge à lèvres à la maison. | I left my lipstick at home. |
ombre à paupières | eyeshadow | Elle a choisi une ombre à paupières bleue pour correspondre à sa robe. | She chose blue eyeshadow to match her dress. |
fond de teint | foundation | Le fond de teint aide à unifier le teint. | Foundation helps to even out the skin tone. |
mascara | mascara | Son mascara est à l'épreuve de l'eau. | Her mascara is waterproof. |
pinceau | brush | Elle utilise un grand pinceau pour appliquer la poudre. | She uses a large brush to apply the powder. |
vernis à ongles | nail polish | Son vernis à ongles rouge est très attrayant. | Her red nail polish is very attractive. |
fard à joues | blush | Elle a appliqué trop de fard à joues. | She applied too much blush. |
eyeliner | eyeliner | Il est difficile de tracer une ligne droite avec un eyeliner. | It's hard to draw a straight line with eyeliner. |
French Word | English Translation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
maquillage | makeup | Elle a mis du maquillage pour la fête. | She put on makeup for the party. |
beauté | beauty | La beauté est dans l'œil de celui qui regarded. | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. |
rouge à lèvres | lipstick | J'ai oublié mon rouge à lèvres à la maison. | I left my lipstick at home. |
ombre à paupières | eyeshadow | Elle a choisi une ombre à paupières bleue pour correspondre à sa robe. | She chose blue eyeshadow to match her dress. |
fond de teint | foundation | Le fond de teint aide à unifier le teint. | Foundation helps to even out the skin tone. |
mascara | mascara | Son mascara est à l'épreuve de l'eau. | Her mascara is waterproof. |
pinceau | brush | Elle utilise un grand pinceau pour appliquer la poudre. | She uses a large brush to apply the powder. |
vernis à ongles | nail polish | Son vernis à ongles rouge est très attrayant. | Her red nail polish is very attractive. |
fard à joues | blush | Elle a appliqué trop de fard à joues. | She applied too much blush. |
eyeliner | eyeliner | Il est difficile de tracer une ligne droite avec un eyeliner. | It's hard to draw a straight line with eyeliner. |
Other Head-Related Vocabulary
If you're learning French, you may also be looking for French equivalents to commonly used English phrases featuring the word “head” — such as “head office” or "head start."
Here's a handy table of English phrases involving the word "head," their French equivalents, and examples of how to use them in a sentence:
English Phrase | French Equivalent | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
head office | siège social | Le siège social de notre entreprise est à Paris. | Our company's head office is in Paris. |
head chef | chef de cuisine | Le chef de cuisine prépare des plats délicieux. | The head chef prepares delicious dishes. |
head teacher | directeur, directrice d'école | La directrice de l'école a organisé une réunion. | The head teacher organized a meeting. |
head start | avantage initial | Grâce à son expérience, il a un avantage initial dans la course. | Thanks to his experience, he has a head start in the race. |
head count | compte des têtes, effectif | Le compte des têtes a montré qu'il manquait deux personnel. | The head count showed two people were missing. |
head-on (adj) | de front | Il y a eu une collision de front. | There was a head-on collision. |
head-on (adv) | directement | Il a abordé le problème directement. | He addressed the problem head-on. |
head-turner | qui fait tourner les têtes | Cette nouvelle voiture est vraiment un qui fait tourner les têtes. | This new car really is a head-turner. |
to fall head over heels | tomber éperdument amoureux | Il est tombé éperdument amoureux d'elle au premier regard. | He fell head over heels for her at first sight. |
off the top of my head | de tête | Je ne peux pas me souvenir de son numéro de téléphone de tête. | I can't remember his phone number off the top of my head. |
heads-up | avis, avertissement | Il m'a donné un avertissement avant la réunion. | He gave me a heads-up before the meeting. |
English Phrase | French Equivalent | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
head office | siège social | Le siège social de notre entreprise est à Paris. | Our company's head office is in Paris. |
head chef | chef de cuisine | Le chef de cuisine prépare des plats délicieux. | The head chef prepares delicious dishes. |
head teacher | directeur, directrice d'école | La directrice de l'école a organisé une réunion. | The head teacher organized a meeting. |
head start | avantage initial | Grâce à son expérience, il a un avantage initial dans la course. | Thanks to his experience, he has a head start in the race. |
head count | compte des têtes, effectif | Le compte des têtes a montré qu'il manquait deux personnel. | The head count showed two people were missing. |
head-on (adj) | de front | Il y a eu une collision de front. | There was a head-on collision. |
head-on (adv) | directement | Il a abordé le problème directement. | He addressed the problem head-on. |
head-turner | qui fait tourner les têtes | Cette nouvelle voiture est vraiment un qui fait tourner les têtes. | This new car really is a head-turner. |
to fall head over heels | tomber éperdument amoureux | Il est tombé éperdument amoureux d'elle au premier regard. | He fell head over heels for her at first sight. |
off the top of my head | de tête | Je ne peux pas me souvenir de son numéro de téléphone de tête. | I can't remember his phone number off the top of my head. |
heads-up | avis, avertissement | Il m'a donné un avertissement avant la réunion. | He gave me a heads-up before the meeting. |
By familiarizing yourself with these terms, you'll be better equipped to handle a variety of situations and conversations in French. Keep practicing and enriching your vocabulary. Bonne chance!
The Bottom Line
Learning French words for body parts, such as face or head, is an essential part of the language. And, while mastering all these terms can seem tricky and first, memorizing and applying them in context will have you using these expressions like a pro in no time!
Finally, if you’re looking for ways to learn and practice French with hands-on tips and memorization tools, try our Langster app to learn French with stories!
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