French word

talent

Pronunciation

IPA/talɑ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine noungift

Example

Il a beaucoup de talent pour la musique.

He has a real gift for music.

Illustration for talent (gift)

More examples

Elle montre son talent en cuisine.

She shows her talent in cooking.

Core concept

A natural ability that makes skilled, outstanding performance feel possible in one particular field.

Common phrases

  • avoir du talent

    have talent

  • un talent naturel

    a natural talent

  • faire preuve de talent

    show talent

Similar words

don: A natural gift for a particular skill or area of activity.
aptitude: A natural quality that makes someone well suited to a job or activity.
compétence: A practical skill developed through learning or experience.
capacité: The power to do something or the range of what can be done.

Definition in French

Disposition ou habileté qui permet d'exceller dans une activité particulière, souvent valorisée dans les arts et les métiers.

Word origin

French talent comes through Latin talentum from Greek talanton, a term for a weight or sum of money whose biblical use led to the sense of gifted ability.

Usage tips

  • French commonly uses avoir du talent pour followed by a field or activity, as in avoir du talent pour la musique.

Other meanings

  • abilitynoun
  • skillnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • talentueuxtalentedadjective
  • talentueusementwith talentadverb

Word lists with this word