How do you say "elbow" in French?

le coude

Noun Masculine

In French, "elbow" is le coude.

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Pronunciation

The trick with coude is that "ou" is a plain "oo"; the closing e is nearly swallowed rather than pronounced.

Grammar notes

le coude is masculine. Its plural is coudes.

Example sentence

Je me suis cogné le coude contre la porte.

I banged my elbow on the door.

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How to remember le coude

Whisper coude, then say it at normal volume, then almost shout it, moving from careful to natural.

Related words

Browse all French words in the glossary.

Questions about le coude

How do you pronounce le coude?

The trick with coude is that "ou" is a plain "oo"; the closing e is nearly swallowed rather than pronounced.

Is le coude masculine or feminine?

le coude is masculine. le coude is masculine. Its plural is coudes.

How is le coude used in French?

le coude is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: Je me suis cogné le coude contre la porte. (I banged my elbow on the door.).

Where can I practice French words for free?

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"Elbow" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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