French · Emotions & Descriptions

"Kind" in French: gentil(le)

gentil(le)

Say it: zhahn-TEEadjective/ʒɑ̃.ti/

Kind in French is gentil (masculine) and gentille (feminine). Say Tu es gentil / Tu es gentille. C'est gentil de ta part thanks someone for a kind act.

Thanking a favor

C'est vraiment gentil de m'avoir aidé.
That's really kind of you to have helped me.
Practice French out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce gentil(le)

Say it

zhahn-TEE

/ʒɑ̃.ti/

Zhahn-TEE. Soft g; nasal gen; final ee. Gentille adds a clearer yee.

"Kind" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
gentil / gentillekind / nice

Gender forms.

être gentil(le)to be kind

With être.

c'est gentilthat's kind of you

Thanks.

trop gentil(le)too kind

Warm exaggeration.

How to use gentil(le) in real life

  1. 1Thanking a favor

    C'est vraiment gentil de m'avoir aidé.

    That's really kind of you to have helped me.

    C'est gentil.

  2. 2Describing a neighbor

    Notre voisin est très gentil avec tout le monde.

    Our neighbor is very kind with everyone.

    Gentil masculine.

  3. 3About a friend

    Elle est gentille, elle pense toujours aux autres.

    She's kind—she always thinks of others.

    Gentille feminine.

Mistakes English speakers make with gentil(le)

Incorrect: Elle est gentil.

Correct: Elle est gentille.

Feminine takes gentille.

Incorrect: Il est gentille.

Correct: Il est gentil.

Masculine is gentil.

Good to know

C'est gentil is a daily gratitude formula—sometimes sincere, sometimes lightly polite. Gentil can also mean nice rather than deeply kind; tone decides.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

After someone lends you a charger

  1. ChatPal

    Il est trop gentil de te le prêter.

    He's too kind to lend it to you.

  2. You

    Oui, c'est gentil, vraiment.

    Yes, that's kind, really.

  3. ChatPal

    Pense à le remercier encore demain.

    Remember to thank him again tomorrow.

  4. You

    Je lui envoie un message.

    I'll text him.

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

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Kind" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Kind" in French

How do you say kind in French?

Gentil / gentille.

How do I say that's kind of you?

C'est gentil (de ta/votre part).

How does gender work?

Gentil (m.), gentille (f.).

How do you pronounce gentil?

zhahn-TEE.

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.