🌸 How to Say Beautiful in French (and Sound Like You Mean It)

If you’re learning French and want to compliment someone—or something—you love, chances are you’ll need to say “beautiful.” The classic translation? Beau and belle.

Let’s break it down on how to say beautiful in French.

🧑‍🎨 Beau vs Belle – The Basics

In French, adjectives have genders. So:

Beau is the masculine form.
→ un beau garçon – a handsome boy
Belle is the feminine form.
→ une belle fille – a beautiful girl

🧠 Pro tip: If the masculine noun begins with a vowel or a silent h, beau becomes bel (for smoother pronunciation).

un bel homme – a handsome man
un bel arbre – a beautiful tree

📚 Plural Forms

French plurals can feel a bit tricky, but here’s the quick version:

Beau becomes beaux
→ les beaux paysages – beautiful landscapes
Belle becomes belles
→ les belles plages – beautiful beaches

That extra “x” in beaux is just grammar doing its thing. Words ending in -eau take -x in the plural, while others usually just take -s.

Now that you’ve got the grammar part, let’s get to the fun stuff—how to actually use these words in real life!

🧑 Complimenting People in French

French has a whole range of expressions for telling someone they look great, from “You look cute” to “Wow, you’re stunning.”

👗 When Someone’s Dressed Up

Let’s say you’re heading out for the evening and your friend shows up looking amazing. You could say:

Tu es magnifique ! – You look beautiful!
Cette tenue est superbe ! – That outfit is stunning!
Tu es superbe ! – You look gorgeous!
Tu es vraiment beau/belle ! – You’re really good-looking!
Tu as fière allure. – You look sharp / elegant.

😊 Complimenting Natural Beauty

Now, if you want to compliment someone’s appearance more generally, here are a few friendly options:

Tu es mignon(ne). – You’re cute.
Tu es très jolie. – You’re so pretty. Fun fact: Joli/jolie is rarely used for boys or men in French. Kind of like how we use “pretty” more often for women in English. Interesting, right?
Tu es ravissant(e). – You’re lovely.
Tu es canon ! – You’re hot.
Tu es très beau/belle. – You’re very handsome / beautiful.

To understand when to use joli/beau, have a look here.

💘 When There’s a Bit of Flirt

Want to turn up the charm a little? Here’s how to compliment someone’s allure:

Tu es charmant(e). – You’re charming.
Tu es séduisant(e). – You’re attractive.
Tu es sexy. – You’re sexy. (Yes, this one’s the same in both languages!)

For more examples with beautiful, have a look here.

If you’ve learned to give compliments, you can also talk about the people you value by learning friend in French.

🛋 Complimenting Things

You can also use many of these adjectives to talk about beautiful places, spaces, or objects. (Though I’ll let you decide whether calling a lamp “sexy” is your vibe…)

Quel bel appartement ! – What a beautiful apartment!
Ce tapis est très joli. – This rug is really cute.
J’adore ta cuisine. – I love your kitchen.
Quel adorable jardin ! – What a lovely garden!
Ce parfum est sublime. – This perfume is sublime.

🌄 Describing Places

Need to rave about a gorgeous view or an enchanting street in Paris? French has a word for that—many, in fact:

Cette vue est époustouflante ! – This view is breathtaking!
Ce bistrot parisien est charmant. – This Parisian café is delightful.
La place Vendôme est fabuleuse. – Place Vendôme is fabulous.
Ce paysage montagneux est splendide. – The mountain scenery is splendid.

For more vocabulary on beauty, have a look here.

🥐 Final Thoughts

There’s something so satisfying about describing beauty in French—it just sounds romantic. And now, you’ve got a whole toolkit to do it right.

Whether it’s a beautiful person, a charming town, or a sublime sunset, you’ll never be lost for words.

Got a favorite French word for beauty? Or a funny story about using the wrong one? I’d love to hear it!

After mastering compliments, add some celebration to your French by learning how to say cheers in French.

Once you’ve learned to say beautiful, you might also like the popular French phrase c’est la vie! for those moments when things don’t go as planned.