The vocabulary for percentages and fractions in French is essential for understanding and expressing parts of a whole in various contexts, from shopping discounts to dividing tasks.
- Pourcentage: percentage
- Fraction: fraction
- Numerateur: numerator
- Denominateur: denominator
- Moitié: half
- Quart: quarter
- Tiers: third
- Partie: part
Pourcentage
denominateur
Fractions
Fractions describe a part of a whole and are expressed with a numerator (top number) and denominator (bottom number).
- 1/2 = une moitié (half)
- 1/3 = un tiers (one third)
- 1/4 = un quart (one quarter)
- A fraction like 3/5 is “trois cinquièmes” (numerator over denominator).
trois cinquièmes
numerateur
Percentages
Percentages express a part out of 100.
- Pourcentage = percentage
- 50% = cinquante pour cent
- 10% = dix pour cent
- When talking about increases or decreases: augmentation de... (increase) / réduction de... (decrease).
percentage
une réduction de quinze pour cent
Conclusion
Understanding fractions and percentages in French helps you tackle everyday situations involving math, like splitting bills or understanding discounts.
- Express parts of a whole with fractions: moitié, tiers, quart...
- Use pourcentage for all things “out of 100” (+ increases and decreases).
- Master numerator/denominator for full fraction fluency: numérateur/denominateur.