French Conversation · Level 28
89 words
French word
fumer
Pronunciation
IPA/fyme/
Meaning
- verbsmoke
Example
Il est interdit de fumer ici.
It is forbidden to smoke here.
More examples
Il a commencé à fumer à quinze ans.
He started smoking at fifteen.
Core concept
Smoke enters the lungs from a burning substance and then leaves through the mouth.
Common phrases
fumer une cigarette
smoke a cigarette
arrêter de fumer
stop smoking
fumer du tabac
smoke tobacco
Similar words
allumer: To light a cigarette.
vapoter: To inhale and exhale vapor from heated e-cigarette liquid.
Definition in French
Inhaler puis expulser la fumée produite par la combustion d'une substance, en particulier le tabac.
Word origin
French inherited fumer from Old French, which came from Latin fumare and ultimately reflects fumus, the Latin word for 'smoke'.
Usage tips
- Fumer can also describe something that gives off smoke, as in La cheminée fume, not only a person inhaling tobacco smoke.