Level A1 (Beginner)
Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is cadeau (m.), meaning “gift” or “present.” I picked this word because it has a small but important nuance — when talking about giving gifts, French does not usually use the obvious verb donner (to give) and more commonly uses offrir (to offer). Keep reading and listen to Marie’s audio examples — it will quickly click.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
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📘 Cadeau meaning
Cadeau (m.) means “gift” or “present” in French and refers to something you give to someone, often for a special occasion like Christmas or a birthday. The word comes from Old French capdel, which originally meant a small gift or tip.
🎁 Which verb to use with cadeau?
In everyday French, some verb + noun combinations sound more natural than others. With cadeau, French speakers usually use offrir (to offer) or faire (to make, to do), not donner (to give).
👉 offrir un cadeau à quelqu’un ✅ — the most natural and common choice
Il offre un cadeau à sa sœur. (He gives his sister a gift.)
👉 faire un cadeau à quelqu’un ✅ — focuses on the gesture
Je lui fais un petit cadeau. (I give him/her a small gift.)
👉 donner un cadeau à quelqu’un ❌ — grammatically correct, but rarely said
🎧 Cadeau pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of cadeau is /ka.do/ (IPA), which sounds like “kah-doh.”
📝 Cadeau examples & usages
Le Père Noël met un joli cadeau sous le sapin de Noël.
Santa Claus puts a pretty gift under the Christmas tree.
Il offre un beau cadeau à sa petite copine pour Noël.
He gives a nice gift to his girlfriend for Christmas.
Elle reçoit un petit cadeau pour son anniversaire.
She receives a small gift for her birthday.
Ils choisissent un cadeau pour remercier un collègue.
They choose a gift to thank a colleague.
Continue learning (with audio)
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- offrir un cadeau — to give a gift
- recevoir un cadeau — to receive a gift
- faire un cadeau à quelqu’un — to give someone a present
- un cadeau de Noël — a Christmas gift
- un cadeau d’anniversaire — a birthday present
- un chèque-cadeau — a gift certificate
- un joli cadeau / un beau cadeau — a nice gift
- un petit cadeau — a small gift
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 French Christmas vocabulary »
👉 Bon anniversaire (happy birthday) »
👉 Donner (to give) — meaning, pronunciation, examples »
👉 Faire (to make, to do) — meaning, pronunciation, examples »
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