French · People & Family

"Baby" in French: bébé

le bébé

Say it: luh bay-BAYmasculine · le bébénoun/lə be.be/

Baby in French is le bébé, masculine. Un bébé dort means a baby is sleeping. Parents also say mon bébé as a soft nickname.

In a café

Le bébé dort dans la poussette.
The baby is sleeping in the stroller.
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How to pronounce bébé

Say it

luh bay-BAY

/lə be.be/

Bébé is bay-BAY with two acute é sounds. Le bébé is luh bay-BAY.

"Baby" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le bébéthe baby

Default noun.

un bébéa baby

Introducing one.

mon bébémy baby

Parent talk or affection.

poussette pour bébébaby stroller

Shopping and travel.

How to use bébé in real life

  1. 1In a café

    Le bébé dort dans la poussette.

    The baby is sleeping in the stroller.

    Le bébé as subject.

  2. 2Family news

    Ils ont un bébé de trois mois.

    They have a three-month-old baby.

    Un bébé + age.

  3. 3Soft nickname

    Viens ici, mon bébé.

    Come here, my baby.

    Affectionate mon bébé.

Mistakes English speakers make with bébé

Incorrect: La bébé.

Correct: Le bébé.

Bébé is masculine regardless of the child's gender.

Incorrect: Ils ont un baby.

Correct: Ils ont un bébé.

Use bébé.

Good to know

Gender of the child does not change the noun: always le/un bébé. For a bit older, un enfant or un petit takes over.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Visiting friends with a newborn

  1. ChatPal

    Chut… le bébé vient de s'endormir.

    Shh… the baby just fell asleep.

  2. You

    Il est beau, ton bébé.

    Your baby is beautiful.

  3. ChatPal

    Merci. Tu veux le tenir plus tard ?

    Thanks. Want to hold him later?

  4. You

    Avec plaisir.

    I'd love to.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Baby" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Baby" in French

How do you say baby in French?

Le bébé.

Is bébé masculine?

Yes — le bébé for any baby.

How do you pronounce bébé?

Bay-BAY.

Can mon bébé be a nickname?

Yes, for a partner or child in affectionate talk.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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