Homophones That Sound the Same in French165

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. They can be a nightmare for learners of any language, and French is no exception. In French, there are many homophones that can be tricky to distinguish, even for native speakers. Here are 15 of the most common French homophones, along with their meanings and examples.

1. a/à

a = third person singular present indicative of the verb "avoir" (to have)
à = preposition meaning "to" or "at"

Example:

Il a une voiture. (He has a car.)
Il va à la plage. (He's going to the beach.)

2. ce/se/c'est

ce = demonstrative pronoun (this, that)
se = reflexive pronoun (himself, herself, itself, oneself)
c'est = contraction of "ce est" (it is)

Example:

Ce livre est intéressant. (This book is interesting.)
Il se lave les mains. (He washes his hands.)
C'est une belle journée. (It's a beautiful day.)

3. est/et

est = third person singular present indicative of the verb "être" (to be)
et = conjunction (and)

Example:

Il est grand. (He is tall.)
Il est et grand et fort. (He is both tall and strong.)

4. leur/leurs

leur = possessive adjective (their)
leurs = plural form of "leur"

Example:

C'est leur maison. (It's their house.)
Ce sont leurs amis. (These are their friends.)

5. mais/mes

mais = conjunction (but)
mes = possessive adjective (my)

Example:

Je suis content, mais fatigué. (I'm happy, but tired.)
Mes parents sont gentils. (My parents are kind.)

6. on/ont

on = indefinite pronoun (one, we)
ont = third person plural present indicative of the verb "avoir" (to have)

Example:

On va au cinéma. (We're going to the cinema.)
Ils ont une grande maison. (They have a big house.)

7. ou/où

ou = conjunction (or)
où = interrogative adverb (where)

Example:

Café ou thé ? (Coffee or tea?)
Où est la bibliothèque ? (Where is the library?)

8. son/sont

son = possessive adjective (his, her, its)
sont = third person plural present indicative of the verb "être" (to be)

Example:

C'est son livre. (It's his book.)
Ils sont contents. (They are happy.)

9. ta/t'as

ta = possessive adjective (your)
t'as = contraction of "tu as" (you have)

Example:

C'est ta voiture ? (Is this your car?)
T'as de l'argent ? (Do you have any money?)

10. ton/tonte

ton = possessive adjective (your)
tonte = noun meaning "shearing"

Example:

C'est ton livre ? (Is this your book?)
La tonte des moutons est importante. (Shearing sheep is important.)

11. vert/ver

vert = adjective meaning "green"
ver = noun meaning "worm"

Example:

La voiture est verte. (The car is green.)
Il y a un ver dans la pomme. (There's a worm in the apple.)

12. vin/vingt

vin = noun meaning "wine"
vingt = number meaning "twenty"

Example:

J'aime le vin rouge. (I like red wine.)
Il a vingt ans. (He is twenty years old.)

13. vole/vol

vole = third person singular present indicative of the verb "voler" (to fly)
vol = noun meaning "theft"

Example:

L'oiseau vole dans le ciel. (The bird is flying in the sky.)
Le vol a été signalé à la police. (The theft was reported to the police.)

14. votre/vôtre

votre = possessive adjective (your)
vôtre = possessive adjective (yours)

Example:

C'est votre maison ? (Is this your house?)
C'est le vôtre ? (Is this yours?)

15. cent/sans

cent = number meaning "one hundred"
sans = preposition meaning "without"

Example:

Il y a cent personnes dans la salle. (There are one hundred people in the room.)
Il est sorti sans manteau. (He went out without a coat.)

2025-01-15

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