belle

/bɛl/beau
1.
adjectivefeminineSing

beautiful

pretty

attractive

lovely

Elle est vraiment belle dans cette robe.

She looks really beautiful in that dress.

2.
adjectivefeminineSing

great

nice

considerable

impressive

C'est une belle opportunité pour sa carrière.

That's a great opportunity for their career.

Notes

GENERAL INFO

Belle means "beautiful" or "lovely." It is a feminine singular adjective, deriving from the masculine singular adjective *beau*.

USAGE

You use belle to describe a singular feminine noun. It usually precedes the noun. For example: `une belle voiture` (a beautiful car), `une belle histoire` (a beautiful story), `C'est une belle journée` (It's a beautiful day).

TRAPS

Remember belle is feminine singular. Do not confuse it with `beau` (masculine singular before a consonant), `bel` (masculine singular before a vowel/h muet), `beaux` (masculine plural), or `belles` (feminine plural). Always match the gender and number of the noun.