French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Ant" in French: fourmi

la fourmi

Say it: foor-MEEfeminine · la fourminoun/fuʁ.mi/

Ant in French is la fourmi, feminine. Une fourmi is one ant; des fourmis is the plural. A busy person may be as active as une fourmi in casual praise.

Picnic

Il y a des fourmis sur la nappe.
There are ants on the tablecloth.
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How to pronounce fourmi

Say it

foor-MEE

/fuʁ.mi/

foor-MEE. Soft French r; stress on mee.

"Ant" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
la fourmithe ant

Default noun.

une fourmian ant

Singular.

des fourmisants

Plural.

une colonie de fourmisan ant colony

Nature talk.

How to use fourmi in real life

  1. 1Picnic

    Il y a des fourmis sur la nappe.

    There are ants on the tablecloth.

    Des fourmis.

  2. 2Kitchen

    Une fourmi marche près du sucre.

    An ant is walking near the sugar.

    Une fourmi.

  3. 3Garden

    Regarde la fourmi avec ce bout de feuille.

    Look at the ant with that bit of leaf.

    La fourmi.

Mistakes English speakers make with fourmi

Incorrect: Le fourmi noir.

Correct: La fourmi noire.

Fourmi is feminine.

Incorrect: Des ants partout.

Correct: Des fourmis partout.

Use fourmis.

Good to know

La Fontaine's fable La Cigale et la Fourmi keeps fourmi in cultural memory as the hard worker. At picnics, des fourmis are the uninvited guests.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Eating outside

  1. ChatPal

    Attention, une fourmi sur ton sandwich.

    Watch out, an ant on your sandwich.

  2. You

    Beurk. Il y a des fourmis partout.

    Gross. There are ants everywhere.

  3. ChatPal

    On change de table, loin des fourmis.

    Let's change tables, away from the ants.

  4. You

    Bonne idée. J'apporte les assiettes.

    Good idea. I'll bring the plates.

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"Ant" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Ant" in French

What gender is fourmi?

Feminine: une fourmi.

How do I say ants?

Des fourmis.

How do you pronounce fourmi?

Foor-MEE.

How do I say ant colony?

Une colonie de fourmis.

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