French · People & Family

"Man" in French: homme

l'homme

Say it: lohmmasculine · l'hommenoun/ɔm/

Man in French is l'homme, masculine, with elision : l'homme, un homme, des hommes. Mec is casual slang for a guy. Use homme in neutral descriptions.

Pointing someone out

L'homme en manteau rouge attend dehors.
The man in the red coat is waiting outside.
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How to pronounce homme

Say it

lohm

/ɔm/

Lohm. The h is silent, so le + homme becomes l'homme. The o is nasal-ish open; final me is soft.

"Man" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
l'hommethe man

With elision.

un hommea man

Indefinite.

des hommesmen

Plural.

un jeune hommea young man

Polite description.

How to use homme in real life

  1. 1Pointing someone out

    L'homme en manteau rouge attend dehors.

    The man in the red coat is waiting outside.

    L'homme + description.

  2. 2Filling a form

    Coche la case homme ou femme.

    Tick the male or female box.

    Homme on forms.

  3. 3Storytelling

    Un homme m'a aidé à porter les sacs.

    A man helped me carry the bags.

    Un homme as subject.

Mistakes English speakers make with homme

Incorrect: Le homme est là.

Correct: L'homme est là.

Use elision: l'homme, never le homme.

Incorrect: C'est un homme belle.

Correct: C'est un bel homme. / C'est une belle femme.

Homme is masculine; agreement and bel before homme.

Good to know

On official paperwork, homme/femme still appears. In speech, people often say un type or un mec among friends, keeping homme for clearer or more formal talk.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Waiting at a café terrace

  1. ChatPal

    Tu vois l'homme près du kiosque ?

    Do you see the man near the kiosk?

  2. You

    Oui, l'homme au vélo. C'est ton cousin ?

    Yes, the man with the bike. Is that your cousin?

  3. ChatPal

    Non. Mon cousin est l'homme en chemise bleue.

    No. My cousin is the man in the blue shirt.

  4. You

    Ah d'accord, je le salue.

    Ah okay, I'll say hi.

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

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"Man" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Man" in French

Why is it l'homme not le homme?

Homme starts with a silent h that still needs elision: l'homme.

What is the plural?

Les hommes.

Is mec the same?

Mec is informal for guy. Homme is the neutral word.

How do you pronounce homme?

Ohm / lohm with the article.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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