French Conversation · Level 6
87 words
French word
nuit
Pronunciation
IPA/nɥi/
Meaning
- feminine nounnight
Example
Il fait nuit.
It is nighttime.
More examples
Nous avons parlé toute la nuit.
We talked all night.
Core concept
The dark stretch between sunset and sunrise, treated as a period of time.
Common phrases
toute la nuit
all night
de nuit
at night
une nuit blanche
a sleepless night
Similar words
soirée: Time spent with others from evening into night, often over meals or conversation.
soir: The early period after sunset as night begins.
minuit: Twelve o'clock at night, marking the middle of the night.
Definition in French
Période de la journée sans lumière du soleil, en général entre le coucher et le lever du jour.
Word origin
French nuit comes through Old French from Latin noctem, the accusative form of nox meaning night, and belongs to the same family as Spanish noche and Italian notte.
Usage tips
- The fixed expression Il fait nuit uses nuit without an article, unlike the ordinary noun phrases la nuit and une nuit.