Level A1 (Beginner)
Today’s French Word of the Day is vieux (feminine: vieille), meaning “old.” We’ll also cover the form vieil and its special liaison usage.
Meaning
Pronunciation with IPA
Expressions
Example sentences
Meaning
The French adjective vieux (masculine singular), vieille (feminine singular), and vieil (masculine singular before a vowel or silent ‘h’) all mean “old.” This adjective always precedes the noun it modifies.
Pronunciation
Example sentences
This first sentence uses être en train de + infinitive, which is used to form the present progressive tense: to be verb+ing.
L’investisseur est en train de vendre un vieux bâtiment.
The investor is selling an old building.
This second sentence uses the le présent (present tense). In French, la famille achète can translate to both “the family buys” and “the family is buying”.
La famille achète une vieille maison à la campagne.
The family is buying an old house in the countryside.
This final sentence uses vieil for the masculine form of vieux. The pronunciation of vieil is essentially the same as the feminine form vieille.
This is done to affect a liaison (the linking of two words) as the -h in homme (man) is non-aspirated and considered to be a vowel. Another example is un vieil appartement (an old apartment).
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.
Expressions using vieux
- un vieil ami – an old friend
- vieux jeu – old-fashioned, behind the times (literally “old game”)
- un vieux de la vieille – an old-timer, a veteran, experienced person
- à la vieille mode – in the old-fashioned way
- un vieux couple – a couple that’s been together for many years
- vieux comme le monde – as old as the hills (literally “old as the world”)
- de vieux souvenirs – old memories
Related lessons
- Nouveau, nouvelle – new
- French adjectives overview
- Ancien, ancienne – old, former, antique
- French numbers 1-100
