English–French

“idle” in French

French

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁalɑ̃ti/

Example

Le moteur tourne au ralenti.

The engine is running at idle.

Illustration for ralenti (idle)

How to say “idle” in French

“Idle” in French is ralenti.

A car engine humming gently with no load while its crankshaft turns slowly.

Full entry for ralenti: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with ralenti

Il a mis la voiture au ralenti pour attendre.

He set the car to idle so he could wait.

Tips for using ralenti

  • The masculine noun normally appears in au ralenti, as in tourner au ralenti or laisser la voiture au ralenti.

“idle” in other languages