Today we’ll look at the French feminine noun eau which means “water”. Many students are unsure of the pronunciation of this word. It simply sounds like “oh”. We’ll also look at some related vocabulary and brands of water.
l’eau
water
Word origin
The Modern French word eau (water) comes from aqua in Latin. Modern French words such as aquarium (same in English) and aquarelle (watercolor paint) are related to aqua.
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of eau (water) is [o].
Example sentences and vocabulary
Normally students associate the adjectives chaud (hot) and froid (cold) with just their masculine forms. This is because of the weather expressions il fait chaud (it’s hot out) and il fait froid (it’s cold out). However, since eau is a feminine noun, the corresponding feminine forms of the adjectives must be used.
l’eau chaude, l’eau froide
hot water, cold water
Here are three sentences using eau in French.
Excusez-moi, l’eau chaude ne marche pas !
Excuse me, the hot water isn’t working!
Je voudrais de l’eau s’il vous plaît.
I’d like some water please.
La Badoit, Le Perrier et L’Evian sont des marques d’eau française.
Badoit, Perrier and Evian are brands of French water.
You may use the following vocabulary in restaurants and while shopping:
- un verre d’eau a glass of water
- une bouteille d’eau a bottle of water
- une carafe d’eau a carafe of water
Here are some forms or kinds of water:
- l’eau plate still water (not carbonated)
- l’eau gazeuse sparkling, fizzy or carbonated water
- l’eau pétillante synonym for gazeuse
- l’eau minérale naturelle mineral water
- l’eau du robinet tap water
- l’eau de source spring water
Related lessons
Resources
Word of the Day lessons | Lessons by David Issokson
