French · Emotions & Descriptions

"Funny" in French: drôle

drôle

Say it: drohladjective/dʁol/

Funny in French is often drôle : c'est drôle, une histoire drôle. Marrant is a casual synonym with friends. Drôle de can also mean "weird," so tone matters.

Reacting to a joke

C'est drôle, je n'y avais pas pensé.
That's funny, I hadn't thought of that.
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How to pronounce drôle

Say it

drohl

/dʁol/

Drohl. The ô is a closed o, and the final e is silent. Liaison is rare before a vowel.

"Funny" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
drôlefunny

Stories, films, situations.

c'est drôlethat's funny

Quick reaction.

une histoire drôlea funny story

Adjective after the noun.

marrantfunny, amusing

Informal synonym.

How to use drôle in real life

  1. 1Reacting to a joke

    C'est drôle, je n'y avais pas pensé.

    That's funny, I hadn't thought of that.

    C'est drôle as a reaction.

  2. 2Choosing a film

    On regarde un film drôle ce soir ?

    Shall we watch a funny film tonight?

    Drôle after film.

  3. 3Describing a coworker

    Elle est drôle, elle raconte bien.

    She's funny; she tells stories well.

    Drôle for a person's humor.

Mistakes English speakers make with drôle

Incorrect: Il est un drôle.

Correct: Il est drôle.

Drôle is an adjective here, not a noun. Say il est drôle.

Incorrect: C'est une drôle film.

Correct: C'est un film drôle.

Put drôle after the noun: un film drôle. Une drôle de… means a strange…

Good to know

French humor leans on wordplay and understatement. Calling something drôle is warm ; drôle de type can mean an odd guy, so listen for de.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Scrolling comedy clips together

  1. ChatPal

    Regarde ça. C'est trop drôle.

    Look at this. It's so funny.

  2. You

    Oui, c'est drôle. Envoie-le à Léa.

    Yes, it's funny. Send it to Léa.

  3. ChatPal

    Elle adore les sketches drôles.

    She loves funny sketches.

  4. You

    Moi aussi. Encore un ?

    Me too. One more?

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

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"Funny" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Funny" in French

Where does drôle go in a sentence?

Usually after the noun: un film drôle. C'est drôle stands alone.

Is marrant the same?

Close, but more informal. Drôle works in most settings.

What does drôle de mean?

Often "strange" or "odd": un drôle de rêve.

How do you pronounce drôle?

Drohl, with a closed ô.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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