What does deux in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word deux in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use deux in French.

The word deux in French means two, two, two, number two, the second of, with a partner, at a snail's pace, worthless, cheap, two-bit, double-digit, within an inch of, with both hands, with two hands, co-authored, co-written, two-handed, double-handed, by a couple of minutes, a stone's throw away, just a stone's throw away, a stone's throw from, a stone's throw from here, between the two of them, between them, You and me!, between us, manage to make ends meet, be slow-witted, be all thumbs, fall between two stools, be caught between two stools, be lacking in get up and go, cheap joke, corny joke, burn the candle at both ends, dresser, be like chalk and cheese, fifty-two, fifty-two, fifty-two, Haute-Marne, the Haute-Marne, like anything, like mad, count in twos, compare two realities, ice cream cone with two scoops, split the difference, meet halfway, have more than one iron in the fire, in either case, two-way, in both senses of the word, it is one of two things, lousy, shoddy, of the two of us, two by two, in twos, two-in-one, twice running, twice in a row, dual carriageway, half as much, half as many, in half the time, twice as much, twice as many, two times wider than high, twice as wide as high, twice as often, two times out of three, two times too many, far too much of, a couple, two by two, double standards, better safe than sorry, two-master, one-bedroom flat, one-bedroom apartment, two-piece swimsuit, two-piece, two piece outfit, one bedroom apartment, two-room apartment with kitchen, colon, double-decker, two-decked ship, motorcycle, two-stroke, siren, dual-tone siren, have a word with, sleep soundly, write on every other line, in rows of two, two-dimensional, in duplicate, twice, in two gos, in two minutes flat, in a nutshell, in no time at all, in no time, in no time at all, stand there flabbergasted, stand there dumbfounded, have a quick word with , have a quick word with about that, middle-aged, fleetingly, I can't choose between them, during lunch, during the lunch break, gap, divide, interval, interval, interim, in two minds, jump ball, console table, insert, the interwar period, And that's two!, be about to do, come close to, be caught in the middle, be doubled up, be doubled over. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word deux

two

adjectif (nombre entre un et trois)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Il y a deux voitures dans le garage. Le nom "de Gaulle" s'écrit "D.E plus loin G.A.U. deux L E".
The name "de Gaulle" is spelled D.E. space G.A.U double L E.

two

adjectif (petit nombre, quelques)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Attends, j'arrive dans deux minutes.
Wait, I will be there in two minutes.

two, number two

nom masculin (chiffre deux)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pour faire un 421, il faut un deux.
In order to make 421 you need a two.

the second of

nom masculin (jour du mois)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Aujourd'hui nous sommes le deux mai.
Today is the second of May.

with a partner

locution adverbiale (ensemble, en couple) (project, homework, etc.)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Vivez cette expérience à deux ou en famille. Nous devons faire ce travail à deux.
We have to do this work in pairs.

at a snail's pace

locution adverbiale (familier (très lentement) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

worthless

locution adjectivale (familier, péjoratif (de faible valeur)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
I'm fed up with your cheap jokes.

cheap, two-bit

locution adjectivale (familier, péjoratif (peu intéressant) (pejorative)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

double-digit

locution adjectivale (de moins de cent)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

within an inch of

(figuré (très près de [qch])

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")
I was this close to killing the guy.

with both hands, with two hands

locution adverbiale (en utilisant 2 mains)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Tiens ce meuble à deux mains ou tu vas le faire tomber.

co-authored, co-written

locution adverbiale (à 2 auteurs)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Ce livre a été écrit à deux mains.
This is a co-authored book.

two-handed, double-handed

locution adjectivale (avec 2 mains)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cette joueuse a un excellent revers à deux mains.

by a couple of minutes

locution adverbiale (de très peu)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
J'ai raté mon train à deux minutes près !
I missed my train by a couple of minutes.

a stone's throw away, just a stone's throw away

locution adverbiale (très proche, très près) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Vous allez voir, la gare est à deux pas.

a stone's throw from

(être très près de)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
La piscine est à deux pas de chez nous. Après le déjeuner, nous irons visiter le château fort qui est à deux pas de chez moi.
After lunch, we're going to visit the fortified castle that's just up the road from my house.

a stone's throw from here

locution adverbiale (figuré (très près d'ici) (figurative)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

between the two of them

(toutes les deux)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
À elles deux, elles ont réussi à ranger toute la grange.

between them

(tous les deux)

À eux deux, ils ont réussi à ranger toute la grange.

You and me!

interjection (figuré (Affrontons-nous !)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")

between us

locution adverbiale (tous les deux)

À nous deux, nous avons réussi à ranger toute la grange.

manage to make ends meet

locution verbale (gagner assez d'argent)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be slow-witted

locution verbale (familier, figuré (être très peu sagace)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be all thumbs

locution verbale (être maladroit, malhabile)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Ne lui confie rien de fragile parce qu'il a deux mains gauches !

fall between two stools, be caught between two stools

locution verbale (figuré, familier (être tiraillé) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Pierre ne veut pas prendre parti, il a le cul entre deux chaises car il connaît les deux protagonistes.

be lacking in get up and go

locution verbale (familier, figuré (être empêtré)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

cheap joke, corny joke

nom féminin (familier, figuré (blague nulle)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

burn the candle at both ends

locution verbale (figuré (dépenser sans compter) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

dresser

nom masculin (meuble haut en deux parties) (furniture)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

be like chalk and cheese

(ne pas avoir d'atome crochu avec [qch]) (informal)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les maths et moi, ça fait deux !
Maths and me don't see eye to eye.

fifty-two

(entier naturel qui suit 51)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Mon père possède cinquante-deux chèvres et vingt-cinq vaches.

fifty-two

nom masculin (de rang 52)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pour aller à Reims, il faut prendre la nationale cinquante-deux.

fifty-two

nom féminin (année 1952) (year: abbreviation)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
François est né en cinquante-deux.

Haute-Marne, the Haute-Marne

nom masculin (France, jargon (département de la Haute-Marne) (French département)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Robert est né dans le cinquante-deux.

like anything, like mad

locution adverbiale (familier (parfaitement, mieux que quiconque) (preceded by verb)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ce gamin, il est malin comme pas deux.
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. He can play the piano like you've never heard before.

count in twos

locution verbale (compter par pas de deux)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

compare two realities

locution verbale (comparer deux situations)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

ice cream cone with two scoops

nom masculin (glace à 2 parfums)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

split the difference, meet halfway

locution verbale (figuré (faire un compromis)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

have more than one iron in the fire

locution verbale (chercher à obtenir 2 choses à la fois)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Quand on court deux lièvres à la fois, on n'en attrape souvent aucun !

in either case

locution adverbiale (quel que soit le choix)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

two-way

locution adverbiale (à circulation dans les deux sens)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

in both senses of the word

locution adverbiale (au propre et au figuré)

it is one of two things

(il y a deux possibilités)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
De deux choses l'une : soit Richard ne savait vraiment rien et c'est idiot, soit il m'a menti et je vais le tuer !

lousy, shoddy

locution adjectivale (très familier (indique le mépris) (informal)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

of the two of us

locution adverbiale (comparaison : entre nous deux)

two by two, in twos

locution adverbiale (par deux, en couple)

two-in-one

locution adjectivale (qui remplit 2 fonctions)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Voici le shampoing deux en un : il lave et traite vos cheveux.

twice running, twice in a row

locution adverbiale (de façon répétée)

dual carriageway

nom féminin invariable (route avec terre-plein central) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Maintenant que la deux fois deux voies est ouverte, je mets 15 minutes de moins pour aller au boulot.

half as much

locution adverbiale (la moitié)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

half as many

locution adjectivale (divisé par deux) (countable noun)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Paul a deux fois moins d'argent que Simon. Depuis les coupes budgétaires, il y a deux fois moins d'infirmières dans ce service maintenant.
Paul has half as much money as Simon.

in half the time

locution adjectivale (temps divisé par 2)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Grâce à ce nouveau pont, on met maintenant deux fois moins de temps pour rejoindre l'autre rive.
Thanks to this new bridge, you can get to the other side of the river in half the time.

twice as much

locution adverbiale (le double)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Cette année, il a plu deux fois plus que l'année dernière.
This year it rained twice as much as last year.

twice as many

(le double de) (countable noun)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il y a deux fois plus de riz dans son assiette que dans la mienne. Cette année, nous avons eu deux fois de spectateurs que l'année dernière.
There's twice as much rice on his plate as there is on mine.

two times wider than high, twice as wide as high

locution adjectivale (de largeur double de la hauteur)

twice as often

locution adverbiale (le double de fois)

two times out of three

locution adverbiale (66 % du temps)

two times too many

locution adverbiale (figuré (beaucoup trop) (countable noun)

far too much of

locution adverbiale (figuré (beaucoup trop de [qch]) (uncountable noun)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
J'ai encore fait deux fois trop de semoule ; on pourra en manger toute la semaine ! Il y a deux fois trop de techniciens dans ce service.

a couple

locution adverbiale (figuré (quelques-uns) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

two by two

locution adverbiale (groupés par deux)

double standards

(inégalité de traitement)

(plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors.")

better safe than sorry

(excès de précautions ne nuit pas)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
J'ai sauvegardé mes données sur le réseau et sur un disque externe : deux précautions valent mieux qu'une.

two-master

nom masculin invariable (navire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce deux-mâts peut filer jusqu'à 30 nœuds.

one-bedroom flat, one-bedroom apartment

nom masculin invariable (appartement de deux pièces) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai quitté mon studio pour emménager dans un deux pièces avec mon copain. Nous avons trouvé un grand deux-pièces exposé plein sud.

two-piece swimsuit

nom masculin invariable (maillot de bain)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce deux-pièces fera fureur sur les plages cet été.

two-piece, two piece outfit

nom masculin invariable (vêtement féminin) (female clothing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pour cet ensemble deux-pièces, vous avez la veste avec la jupe ou le pantalon.

one bedroom apartment, two-room apartment with kitchen

nom masculin (appartement de type F2)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Marion a acheté un deux-pièces cuisine en centre-ville.

colon

nom masculin invariable (signe de ponctuation) (punctuation mark)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les deux points permettent d'introduire les listes.

double-decker

nom masculin (carlingue d'avion à deux niveaux) (plane)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Cet avion long-courrier est un deux-ponts.

two-decked ship

nom masculin (vaisseau à deux ponts)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce navire est un deux-ponts.

motorcycle

nom masculin (véhicule à deux roues)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il y a un parking spécial pour les deux-roues.

two-stroke

nom masculin invariable (abr (moteur à cycle à deux temps)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce moteur à explosion est un deux-temps.

siren, dual-tone siren

nom masculin invariable (sirène à deux tons)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pour obtenir la priorité, les pompiers mettent en route leur deux-tons.

have a word with

(s'expliquer avec [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

sleep soundly

locution verbale (figuré (dormir sereinement)

write on every other line

locution verbale (sauter une ligne à chaque fois)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

in rows of two

locution adverbiale (en rang par paires)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Le professeur a demandé à ses élèves de se mettre en colonne par deux.

two-dimensional

locution adverbiale (à plat)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

in duplicate

locution adjectivale (en double)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

twice, in two gos

locution adverbiale (une fois après une autre)

in two minutes flat

locution adverbiale (très vite)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

in a nutshell

locution verbale (faire bref) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

in no time at all

locution adverbiale (rapidement)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Tu vas voir, je vais faire ça en deux temps trois mouvements !

in no time, in no time at all

locution adverbiale (figuré (très rapidement) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

stand there flabbergasted, stand there dumbfounded

locution verbale (familier (être abasourdi) (informal)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

have a quick word with , have a quick word with about that

(mentionner [qch] à [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tu voudrais que les pauses déjeuner soient plus longues ? OK, j'en toucherai deux mots au directeur.
You'd like the lunch breaks to be longer? OK, I'll have a quick word with the director.

middle-aged

locution adverbiale (entre maturité et vieillesse)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Les jeunes retraités sont entre deux âges.

fleetingly

locution adverbiale (figuré (rapidement, à la va-vite)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Je vais programmer une réunion pour que l'on examine posément ce sujet, plutôt que d'en parler entre deux portes.

I can't choose between them

(marque une difficulté à choisir)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

during lunch, during the lunch break

locution adverbiale (durant la pause du midi)

gap, divide, interval

nom masculin invariable (espace intermédiaire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Un no man's land est un entre-deux.

interval, interim

nom masculin invariable (espace dans le temps)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Dans l'entre-deux, j'ai eu le temps de passer une semaine en Italie.

in two minds

nom masculin invariable (état intermédiaire)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Elle est entre-deux, partagée entre l'envie de changement et la peur de partir.

jump ball

nom masculin invariable (basket: jet vertical) (basketball)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'arbitre décide d'un entre-deux lorsqu'une faute est partagée.

console table

nom masculin invariable (meuble)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'entre-deux est un meuble d'appui positionné entre deux fenêtres.

insert

nom masculin invariable (couture: bande)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La lingerie comporte souvent des entre-deux en dentelle.

the interwar period

nom masculin et féminin invariable (période entre les deux guerres mondiales)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les années folles correspondent au début de l'entre-deux-guerres.

And that's two!

interjection (Ça en fait déjà 2)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")

be about to do

(être prêt à)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

come close to

(manquer de faire [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be caught in the middle

locution verbale (figuré, familier (être tiraillé)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Il est assis le cul entre deux chaises car il est ami des deux adversaires.

be doubled up, be doubled over

locution verbale (être fortement courbé vers l'avant)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

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Related words of deux

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.