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It’s hard to travel to a French-speaking country and not want to express how beautiful everything is in French: the people, the places, and all the other things you can see. Whatever you may be looking to describe as beautiful, there are many ways to describe beauty in French. Rosetta Stone can help you quickly learn French without needing to memorize!
French terms for ‘beautiful’ that describe women (and other feminine words)
Whoever you are describing, it’s good to know the French verb être (to be). Knowing this verb is essential to using any French adjectives, such as those that describe beauty. You may also want to brush up on your French gender rules!
There are a couple of different ways to tell a woman she is beautiful. You may also want to say that an object or a place, whose gender is feminine, is beautiful. In this case, you can use the feminine pronoun elle (she) to mean “it.” Do not use c’est in this context for “it is.”
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| Tu es belle. | too ay bell | You are beautiful. |
| Elle est belle. | ell ay bell | She is/It is beautiful. |
Describing men (and other masculine words) with French terms for ‘beautiful’
To tell a man he is handsome or beautiful, we use a different form of the adjective: beau. This can also be used to describe any noun that is masculine using il est (it is). The adjective “beautiful” is irregular in French, meaning it does not follow the traditional rules of masculine/feminine.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| Tu es beau. | too ay boh | You are handsome/beautiful. |
| Il est beau. | eel ay boh | He is/It is handsome/beautiful. |
‘Beauty’ vs. ‘beautiful’ in French: different parts of speech
It’s also important to know the different parts of speech in French, so you can accurately describe the beauty around you. “Beauty” (a noun) is different from “beautiful” (an adjective).
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| beau | boh | handsome/beautiful (masculine) |
| la beauté | la boh-tay | beauty |
| belle | bell | beautiful (feminine) |
Other ways to say ‘You’re beautiful’ in French
Of course, you can go beyond using beau and belle to tell someone you find them beautiful. There are many ways to give someone a compliment, as well as many ways to describe beautiful things and places you encounter on your travels.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| Comme il est beau. | kuhm eel ay boh | How beautiful/It’s so beautiful.(m) |
| Comme elle est belle. | kuhm ell ay bell | How beautiful/It’s so beautiful.(f) |
| Quel beau lieu. | kell boh lee-uh | What a beautiful place. |
| Quelle belle vue. | kell bell voo | What a beautiful view. |
| Tu es charmant/charmante. | too ay shar-mahn/shar-mant | You are lovely. |
| Tu es joli/jolie. | too ay jzoh-lee | You are pretty/attractive.(m/f) |
| Tu es magnifique. | too ay mag-nee-feek | You look wonderful. |
| Tu es superbe. | too ay soo-pairb | You look gorgeous. |
Find your favorite French term for ‘beautiful’ with Rosetta Stone
If you’re ready to take the next step with your French, Rosetta Stone is here to help. Whether you wish to give your loved ones compliments, express your opinions on your travels, or simply learn the basics of French, we’ve got your back. Learn French quickly and effectively using features like Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition, which gives you real-time feedback on your French pronunciations. Build confidence and expertise with Rosetta Stone!