Published March 2, 2025 • Updated July 26, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Vieux, vieille — Meaning and Pronunciation
Vieux is a French adjective meaning “old.” Its feminine form is vieille. It can describe people, animals, objects, places, or things that have existed for a long time. Vieil replaces vieux before a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or silent h, as in un vieil ami (an old friend) or un vieil homme (an old man).
Pronunciation: vieux /vjø/ and vieille /vjɛj/, approximately “vyuh” and “vyay.”
Forms of vieux
- vieux — masculine singular before a consonant
- vieil — masculine singular before a vowel or silent h
- vieille — feminine singular
- vieux — masculine plural
- vieilles — feminine plural
Example Sentences
L’investisseur est en train de vendre un vieux bâtiment.
The investor is selling an old building.
La famille achète une vieille maison à la campagne.
The family is buying an old house in the countryside.
Jean-Luc conduit une vieille bagnole depuis des années.
Jean-Luc has been driving a clunker for years.
Monsieur Dupuis est un vieil homme et il a quatre-vingt-dix-huit ans.
Mr. Dupuis is an old man and is 98 years old.
👉 Next: lesson Ancien, ancienne (old, former) »
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Related words
- une vieille femme — an old woman
- un vieil homme — an old man
- âgé, âgée — elderly, aged
- jeune — young
- vieillir — to grow old, to age
- la vieillesse — old age
- un vieillard, une vieille dame — an old man, an elderly woman
Expressions with vieux
- être vieux jeu — to be old-fashioned
- un vieux copain — an old or longtime friend
- une vieille habitude — an old habit
- les vieux jours — old age, later years
- se faire vieux — to be getting old
- un vieux de la vieille — an old hand, a seasoned veteran
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