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Level A1 (Beginner)
The French Word of the Day is fils, which means “son.” Most students find this word difficult to pronounce correctly, and without a clear explanation, it’s commonly mispronounced.
Meaning
Podcast
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Related words
Meaning
The French word le fils means “the son.” It refers to a male child in relation to his parents. The plural form is les fils, meaning “the sons.”
Podcast
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of fils (son) is fees or [fis]. The “l” is completely silent, the “i” sounds like “ee” in feet, and the “s” is pronounced like the “s” in Sam. Both the singular and plural forms—le fils (the son) and les fils (the sons)—are spelled the same and pronounced the same.
Example sentences
Mon fils s’appelle Jean-Luc et il a vingt-cinq ans.
My son’s name is Jean-Luc and he is 25 years-old.
Nous avons un fils et deux filles.
We have one son and two daughters.
In French, the word fiston is slang for son and can translate to “sonny”.
Allez, fiston, il est l’heure de se lever!
Come on son, it’s time to get up!
Notre petit-fils s’appelle Marc et il habite aux États-Unis.
Our grandson’s name is Marc and he lives in the United States.
Word origin
The modern French masculine noun fils comes from filius (son, child) in Latin.
Related words and lessons
Family Terms
- le père – father
- la mère – mother
- la maman – mom
- la fille – daughter
- les enfants – children
- les parents – parents
- le petit-fils – grandson
- le beau-fils – son-in-law / stepson
- la grand-mère – grandmother
- le grand-père – grandfather
Common Phrases
- mon fils – my son
- fils unique – only son
- avoir un fils – to have a son
- être le fils de – to be the son of
Continue your French learning!
Now that you’ve learned le fils, take a look at my complete list of French family vocabulary. To keep building your skills, explore the full French Word of the Day series!
