What does gauche in French mean?

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

The word gauche in French means left, awkward, clumsy, gauche, left, the left, left, left-footed strike, left-foot strike, left-foot shot, skew, left, right, and centre, left, on the left, to the left of, left wing, left-wing, to 's left, to the left of, left wing, centre left, left-right divide, driving on the left, sleep around, left hook, extremely left-wing, far-left, from right to left, from the left to the right, right and left, aimlessly, left-wing, left to right, from left to right, from the left to the right, left and right, here and there, in the bottom left-hand corner, in the top left-hand corner, be left-wing, be on the left, extreme left wing, far left, throw a left hook, champagne socialists, left hemisphere, left brain hemisphere, main-gauche, left-wing party, kick the bucket, take the left, left bank, on the left bank, left-bank, drive on the left, get up on the wrong side of the bed, get out of bed on the wrong side, on the left, on your left, on your left, turn left, mitral valve, left ventricle, to the left, to your left, left side of the road, left-hand side of the road, vote left-wing. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word gauche

left

adjectif (opposé au côté droit) (side)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Je porte mon alliance à la main gauche.
I wear my wedding ring on my left hand.

awkward, clumsy, gauche

adjectif (soutenu (maladroit)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Ses gestes sont gauches.
His gestures are awkward.

left

nom féminin (côté du cœur) (side of body)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Maman est assise à ma gauche.
Mum is sitting on my left.

the left

nom féminin (Politique : courant progressiste) (Politics)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le parti socialiste fait partie de la gauche.
The Socialist Party is on the left.

left

nom féminin (Boxe : poing gauche) (Boxing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le boxeur a étalé son adversaire d'une gauche magistrale !
The boxer floored his opponent with a magnificent left!

left-footed strike, left-foot strike, left-foot shot

nom masculin (Sports : pied gauche) (Sports)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Magnifique tir du gauche de l'attaquant !
Beautiful left-footed strike from the attacker!

skew

adjectif (Maths : non plan)

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

left, right, and centre

locution adverbiale (partout) (UK)

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

left

locution adverbiale (en allant sur la gauche)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")
Il faut que tu prennes à gauche au prochain carrefour.
You need to take the road on the left at the next junction.

on the left

locution adverbiale (du côté gauche) (position)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Au Japon, on conduit à gauche. En face de vous, vous verrez la boulangerie, avec la boucherie à droite et le café à gauche.
You'll see the bakery opposite you, with the butcher's to the right and the café to the left.

to the left of

(sur la gauche de [qch/qqn])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Le café se trouve à gauche de la boulangerie.
The café is to the left of the bakery.

left wing

locution adverbiale (Politique : de façon socialiste) (politics)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Cet ouvrier vote plutôt à gauche.
This worker tends to vote left wing.

left-wing

locution adjectivale (Politique : socialiste) (politics)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Ce député est à gauche.
This politician is left-wing.

to 's left, to the left of

(sur la gauche de)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
À la gauche de la mariée se tenait son papa et à sa droite sa maman.

left wing

nom masculin (Sports) (sports)

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

centre left

nom masculin (courant politique) (UK)

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

left-right divide

nom masculin (fracture politique) (politics)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Dans la politique française, l'expression « clivage droite-gauche » fait référence à l'opposition de principe entre libéraux et socialistes.

driving on the left

nom féminin (sens de circulation)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
On pratique la conduite à gauche en Angleterre.

sleep around

locution verbale (avoir beaucoup de partenaires sexuels)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")

left hook

nom masculin (coup de poing de la main gauche)

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

extremely left-wing, far-left

locution adjectivale (mouvance politique) (politics)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cet homme politique est connu pour être d'extrême gauche.

from right to left, from the left to the right

locution adverbiale (de la droite vers la gauche)

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

right and left

locution adverbiale (figuré (partout) (figurative)

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

aimlessly

locution adverbiale (figuré (sans itinéraire fixé)

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

left-wing

locution adjectivale (social-démocrate)

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

left to right, from left to right, from the left to the right

locution adverbiale (de la gauche vers la droite)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
En occident, on lit de gauche à droite.

left and right

locution adverbiale (figuré (partout) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Cela tirait de gauche à droite durant la fusillade.

here and there

locution adverbiale (figuré (sans itinéraire fixé)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Pendant les vacances, nous allons souvent de gauche à droite.

in the bottom left-hand corner

locution adverbiale (dans le coin inférieur gauche)

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

in the top left-hand corner

locution adverbiale (dans le coin supérieur gauche)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
On inscrit les coordonnées du destinataire en haut à gauche d'une lettre.

be left-wing, be on the left

locution verbale (Politique : être à tendance socialiste)

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

extreme left wing, far left

nom féminin (mouvance politique) (politics)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'extrême gauche rassemble différents mouvements, anarchistes, internationalistes, communistes, écologistes, socialistes...

throw a left hook

locution verbale (boxe : frapper du poing gauche) (boxing)

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

champagne socialists

nom féminin (gauche habituée au luxe) (UK, colloquial)

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

left hemisphere, left brain hemisphere

nom masculin (moitié gauche du cerveau) (anatomy)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'hémisphère gauche est le siège du langage.

main-gauche

nom féminin (Histoire (dague en complément d'une épée) (French dagger: historical)

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

left-wing party

nom masculin (non conservateurs) (politics)

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

kick the bucket

locution verbale (figuré (mourir) (informal, figurative)

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

take the left

locution verbale (tourner à gauche)

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

left bank

nom féminin (côté gauche d'un fleuve)

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

on the left bank

locution adjectivale (du côté gauche d'un fleuve)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Les Invalides se trouvent à Paris rive gauche.

left-bank

locution adjectivale (intellectuel, de gauche)

(noun as adjective: Describes another noun--for example, "boat race," "dogfood.")

drive on the left

locution verbale (rouler du côté gauche de la route)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
En France, on roule à droite alors qu'en Angleterre, on roule à gauche. Les trains roulent à gauche.

get up on the wrong side of the bed, get out of bed on the wrong side

(se réveiller de mauvaise humeur) (figurative)

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

on the left, on your left

locution adverbiale (à gauche)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Florence habite sur la gauche après le carrefour.

on your left

locution adverbiale (de votre côté gauche)

Sur votre gauche, vous pouvez admirer la Conciergerie.

turn left

locution verbale (aller sur sa gauche)

Le moniteur d'auto-école lui a demandé de tourner à gauche.

mitral valve

nom féminin (valvule du cœur) (anatomy)

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

left ventricle

nom masculin (cavité cardiaque) (heart)

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

to the left, to your left

locution adverbiale (en direction de la gauche)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Si vous regardez vers la gauche, vous pourrez observer les restes du mur d'enceinte de la vile.

left side of the road, left-hand side of the road

nom féminin (file de gauche)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ne restez pas sur la voie de gauche si vous roulez lentement.

vote left-wing

locution verbale (voter pour un candidat de gauche)

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