French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Bee" in French: abeille

l'abeille

Say it: ah-BAYfeminine · l'abeillenoun/a.bɛj/

Bee in French is l'abeille, feminine. Une abeille is one bee; des abeilles is the plural. Honey is le miel.

In a garden

Regarde, une abeille sur la rose.
Look, a bee on the rose.
Practice French out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce abeille

Say it

ah-BAY

/a.bɛj/

Ah-BAY. The double ll is like a y sound for many speakers: a-bay. Soft French r is not in this word.

"Bee" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
l'abeillethe bee

Default with elision before a vowel.

une abeillea bee

Indefinite singular.

des abeillesbees

Plural.

une piqûre d'abeillea bee sting

Health and first aid.

How to use abeille in real life

  1. 1In a garden

    Regarde, une abeille sur la rose.

    Look, a bee on the rose.

    Une before feminine abeille.

  2. 2At a picnic

    Attention, l'abeille tourne autour du soda.

    Careful, the bee is circling the soda.

    L'abeille with elision.

  3. 3Talking about nature

    Sans les abeilles, peu de fruits.

    Without bees, few fruits.

    Les abeilles for the insects in general.

Mistakes English speakers make with abeille

Incorrect: Un abeille jaune.

Correct: Une abeille jaune.

Abeille is feminine: une, not un.

Incorrect: Le abeille butine.

Correct: L'abeille butine.

Use l' before a vowel sound, not le.

Good to know

Abeilles show up in French nature talk and kids' books, and miel d'acacia or miel de lavande is a common market buy. A bee sting is une piqûre d'abeille; for allergies, people say allergique aux piqûres.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Spotting bees near flowers

  1. ChatPal

    Tu as vu l'abeille ?

    Did you see the bee?

  2. You

    Oui, elle est sur la lavande.

    Yes, it's on the lavender.

  3. ChatPal

    Laisse l'abeille tranquille, elle butine.

    Leave the bee alone; it's foraging.

  4. You

    D'accord, je ne bouge pas.

    Okay, I won't move.

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

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Bee" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Bee" in French

What gender is abeille?

Feminine: une abeille, l'abeille.

How do I say bees?

Des abeilles or les abeilles.

How do you pronounce abeille?

Ah-BAY, often with a y-like ll.

How do I say bee sting?

Une piqûre d'abeille.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in French. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.