French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Tree" in French: arbre

l'arbre

Say it: LAR-bruhmasculine · l'arbrenoun/aʁbʁ/

Tree in French is l'arbre, masculine, said LAR-bruh. Un arbre is a tree; les arbres are trees. Under the tree is sous l'arbre. The h is silent; elision gives l'arbre.

Park picnic

On s'assoit sous l'arbre, il y a de l'ombre.
Let's sit under the tree; there's shade.
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How to pronounce arbre

Say it

LAR-bruh

/aʁbʁ/

LAR-bruh. Start with a clear ar as in British "car" without a hard r finish, then bruh. Silent h in spelling; you hear no English "h".

"Tree" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
l'arbrethe tree

Default noun with elision.

un arbrea tree

Indefinite singular.

sous l'arbreunder the tree

Shade and picnic phrases.

un arbre fruitiera fruit tree

Garden vocabulary.

How to use arbre in real life

  1. 1Park picnic

    On s'assoit sous l'arbre, il y a de l'ombre.

    Let's sit under the tree; there's shade.

    Sous l'arbre is the set place phrase.

  2. 2City walk

    Cet arbre au milieu de la place est magnifique.

    That tree in the middle of the square is magnificent.

    Cet arbre before a vowel sound.

  3. 3Gardening chat

    Il faut arroser l'arbre tous les deux jours.

    We need to water the tree every other day.

    L'arbre keeps the elided article.

Mistakes English speakers make with arbre

Incorrect: Le arbre est grand.

Correct: L'arbre est grand.

Use elision: l'arbre, not le arbre.

Incorrect: Une arbre morte.

Correct: Un arbre mort.

Arbre is masculine: un arbre, arbre mort.

Good to know

Town planning talk often mentions arbres d'alignement (street trees). In parks, people meet sous l'arbre as a simple landmark when phone signal is weak.

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Choosing a shady spot in a park

  1. ChatPal

    Il y a un bel arbre là-bas.

    There's a nice tree over there.

  2. You

    Oui, allons sous l'arbre avec la couverture.

    Yes, let's go under the tree with the blanket.

  3. ChatPal

    Attention, l'arbre perd des fleurs roses.

    Careful, the tree is dropping pink blossoms.

  4. You

    Tant mieux, c'est joli.

    Even better, it's pretty.

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"Tree" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Tree" in French

Why is it l'arbre not le arbre?

French elides le/la before a vowel sound: l'arbre.

Is arbre masculine?

Yes: un arbre, les arbres.

How do I say under the tree?

Sous l'arbre.

How do you pronounce arbre?

LAR-bruh, with a French r and almost no final vowel.

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