French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Shark" in French: requin

le requin

Say it: ruh-KANmasculine · le requinnoun/ʁə.kɛ̃/

Shark in French is le requin, masculine. You use it for the animal in the sea, in films, and at the aquarium.

At the aquarium

Le requin nage tout près de la vitre.
The shark is swimming right by the glass.
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How to pronounce requin

Say it

ruh-KAN

/ʁə.kɛ̃/

Requin: ruh-KAN. The in is nasal; don't pronounce a hard n. Soft r at the start.

"Shark" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le requinthe shark

Main word.

un grand requina big shark

Size talk.

le requin blancgreat white shark

Species name.

les requinssharks

Plural.

How to use requin in real life

  1. 1At the aquarium

    Le requin nage tout près de la vitre.

    The shark is swimming right by the glass.

    Vitre = pane/glass.

  2. 2Beach chat

    Ici, on voit rarement des requins.

    Here you rarely see sharks.

    Rarement = rarely.

  3. 3Movie night

    Ce film sur les requins me fait peur.

    This shark movie scares me.

    Faire peur = to scare.

Mistakes English speakers make with requin

Incorrect: La requin.

Correct: Le requin.

Requin is masculine.

Incorrect: Un shark.

Correct: Un requin.

Use the French word requin.

Good to know

French beaches post local swimming advice; shark sightings are rare news items, not daily talk. Kids meet requins first in aquariums and comics more than in the water.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Watching a tank at the aquarium

  1. ChatPal

    Tu as vu le requin à gauche ?

    Did you see the shark on the left?

  2. You

    Oui, ce requin est énorme !

    Yes, that shark is huge!

  3. ChatPal

    On reste encore cinq minutes ?

    Shall we stay five more minutes?

  4. You

    D'accord. Après, les méduses.

    OK. After that, the jellyfish.

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"Shark" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Shark" in French

Gender of requin?

Masculine: un requin.

How do you pronounce requin?

Ruh-KAN with a nasal an.

Plural?

Les requins.

Great white shark?

Le requin blanc.

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