French · Home, Clothes & Daily Life

"Pillow" in French: oreiller

l'oreiller

Say it: oh-ray-YAYmasculine · l'oreillernoun/ɔ.ʁɛ.je/

Pillow in French is l'oreiller. Plural les oreillers. Say un oreiller ferme and changer d'oreiller when you need a different one.

Making the bed

Tu mets l'oreiller de ce côté ?
Are you putting the pillow on this side?
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How to pronounce oreiller

Say it

oh-ray-YAY

/ɔ.ʁɛ.je/

oh-ray-YAY. Soft r; stress on YAY.

"Pillow" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
l'oreillerthe pillow

Default.

les oreillersthe pillows

Plural.

oreiller ferme / moelleuxfirm / soft pillow

Feel.

taie d'oreillerpillowcase

Bedding.

How to use oreiller in real life

  1. 1Making the bed

    Tu mets l'oreiller de ce côté ?

    Are you putting the pillow on this side?

    Setup.

  2. 2Hotel desk

    Pouvez-vous m'apporter un oreiller supplémentaire ?

    Can you bring me an extra pillow?

    Extra.

  3. 3Sore neck

    Cet oreiller est trop bas pour moi.

    This pillow is too low for me.

    Comfort.

Mistakes English speakers make with oreiller

Incorrect: La oreiller est doux.

Correct: L'oreiller est doux.

Masculine with elision: l'oreiller.

Incorrect: Un pillow moelleux.

Correct: Un oreiller moelleux.

Use oreiller.

Good to know

French hotels often ask ferme ou moelleux for oreillers. A cushion on the sofa is un coussin—not the same as oreiller on the bed.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Settling into a guest room

  1. ChatPal

    Il te faut un deuxième oreiller ?

    Do you need a second pillow?

  2. You

    Oui, un oreiller un peu plus ferme.

    Yes, a slightly firmer pillow.

  3. ChatPal

    Voilà l'oreiller dans le placard.

    Here's the pillow in the closet.

  4. You

    Parfait, je dors mieux comme ça.

    Perfect—I'll sleep better like that.

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"Pillow" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Pillow" in French

How do you say pillow?

L'oreiller.

What is a pillowcase?

Une taie d'oreiller.

Is coussin the same?

Coussin is more of a cushion; oreiller is for sleeping.

How do you pronounce oreiller?

oh-ray-YAY.

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