l'
/ami/
Translation
friend
Word origin
From Latin amicus ('friend'), from amare ('to love'). The feminine amie and English 'amicable' share the root.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- amicus
- English cognates
- amicable, amity
Grammar
Examples
Lyon .
My best friend has lived in Lyon since his marriage three years ago.
' Bordeaux .
She ran into an old friend during a stay in Bordeaux last month.
, ' .
Little by little, he made friends in his new neighbourhood.
' .
An old friend rang me to catch up.
au .
He considers his dog his best friend in the world.
(féminin amie) désigne une personne avec qui on a un lien d'amitié sincère, plus fort qu'une simple connaissance (acquaintance). Petit ami / petite amie (boyfriend/girlfriend) est l'expression courante pour un partenaire romantique. Mon ami (my friend) peut aussi être une adresse condescendante ou légèrement paternaliste dans certains contextes.
Ami de longue date (long-standing friend, old friend) et meilleur ami (best friend) décrivent l'intensité du lien. Faux ami (false friend) désigne les mots semblables entre langues mais de sens différents - un concept important en linguistique. Les amis de mes amis sont mes amis est le proverbe de la solidarité sociale en réseau.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(12)Seule dans la nuit
2 min read · Core 1000
La fête surprise
3 min read · Core 1000
Le bus manqué
3 min read · Core 1000
Le coup de téléphone
3 min read · Core 1000
Le dernier train de la nuit
3 min read · Core 1000
Le nouveau voisin
3 min read · Core 1000
Un matin au marché
3 min read · Core 1000
Clara trouve sa place
4 min read · Core 1000
Mathieu revient en ville
4 min read · Core 1000
Un ancien ami
4 min read · Core 5000
Un voyage difficile
4 min read · Core 1000
Une rencontre au marché
4 min read · Core 1000
Grammar articles
(12)French Adjective Agreement: Gender, Number, and Position Rules
French Adjective Position: Default, BAGS, and the Meaning Shifts
French Advanced Grammar (C1-C2): The Constructions That Sound Native
French Demonstrative Forms: Drilling ce, cet, cette, ces
French Demonstratives: ce, cet, cette, ces and the -ci / -là Distance Split
French Noun Gender: Why Every Noun Is Le or La, and the Endings That Give It Away
French Noun Plurals: Add -s, Say Nothing - the Article Does the Work
French Relative Pronouns After a Preposition: lequel, auquel, duquel
French Relative Pronouns: qui, que, dont, où and How to Glue Clauses Together
The French Subjunctive After Superlatives and Exclusives
The French Subjunctive in Relative Clauses
French Word Order: SVO, the Object Pronoun Inversion, and Six Rules That Cover 90% of Sentences
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueFrench · Free printables
ami: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "ami" (friend): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 3.