French vocabulary for expressing weight and mass, covering key nouns, verbs, and adjectives used in everyday contexts.

Nouns

These French nouns are commonly used to talk about weight, mass, and related concepts.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
le poids	les poids	weight	weights	Quel est le poids de cette valise ?	What is the weight of this suitcase?
la masse	les masses	mass	masses	La masse de cet objet est de 2 kg.	The mass of this object is 2 kg.
le kilogramme	les kilogrammes	kilogram	kilograms	Je pèse 70 kilogrammes.	I weigh 70 kilograms.
le gramme	les grammes	gram	grams	Il y a 500 grammes de farine.	There are 500 grams of flour.
la balance	les balances	scale	scales	J’ai acheté une nouvelle balance.	I bought a new scale.
la tonne	les tonnes	ton	tons	Ce camion transporte 5 tonnes de marchandises.	This truck carries 5 tons of goods.
l’once (f)	les onces	ounce	ounces	Cette tablette pèse 10 onces.	This tablet weighs 10 ounces.
le poids plume	les poids plumes	featherweight	featherweights	Il est un poids plume en boxe.	He is a featherweight in boxing.
le poids lourd	les poids lourds	heavyweight	heavyweights	Les poids lourds passent en dernier.	The heavyweights go last.
la charge	les charges	load	loads	La charge sur le camion est trop lourde.	The load on the truck is too heavy.

Verbs

These French verbs are essential for talking about weighing, measuring, and handling mass.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
peser	pèsent	to weigh	to weigh	Combien pèse ce sac ?	How much does this bag weigh?
mesurer	mesurent	to measure	to measure	Il mesure la longueur et le poids.	He measures the length and weight.
charger	chargent	to load	to load	Ils chargent la marchandise sur le camion.	They load the goods onto the truck.
soulever	soulèvent	to lift	to lift	Il soulève des poids à la salle de sport.	He lifts weights at the gym.
équilibrer	équilibrent	to balance	to balance	Il faut équilibrer la balance.	The scale must be balanced.
transporter	transportent	to transport	to transport	Le camion transporte une lourde charge.	The truck transports a heavy load.
augmenter	augmentent	to increase	to increase	Le poids a augmenté depuis la dernière fois.	The weight has increased since last time.
diminuer	diminuent	to decrease	to decrease	Son poids a diminué après le régime.	His weight decreased after the diet.
calibrer	calibrent	to calibrate	to calibrate	On doit calibrer la balance avant usage.	We must calibrate the scale before use.
distribuer	distribuent	to distribute	to distribute	Ils distribuent les colis par poids.	They distribute the packages by weight.

Adjectives

These French adjectives help describe weight and mass, indicating whether something is heavy, light, or of a certain size.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
lourd / lourde	lourds / lourdes	heavy	heavy	Ce carton est très lourd.	This box is very heavy.
léger / légère	légers / légères	light	light	Cette valise est légère.	This suitcase is light.
massif / massive	massifs / massives	massive	massive	Un bloc massif de pierre.	A massive block of stone.
volumineux / volumineuse	volumineux / volumineuses	bulky	bulky	Un colis volumineux occupe beaucoup de place.	A bulky package takes up a lot of space.
compact / compacte	compacts / compactes	compact	compact	Un objet compact et léger.	A compact and light object.
énorme	énormes	enormous	enormous	Une charge énorme à transporter.	An enormous load to carry.
élevé / élevée	élevés / élevées	high	high	Un poids élevé peut être dangereux.	A high weight can be dangerous.
faible	faibles	low / small	low / small	Un faible poids sur la balance.	A low weight on the scale.
acceptable	acceptables	acceptable	acceptable	Poids acceptable pour un bagage cabine.	Acceptable weight for carry-on luggage.
exact / exacte	exacts / exactes	exact	exact	Le poids exact est de 1,25 kg.	The exact weight is 1.25 kg.

What is the French adjective for 'heavy'?

volumineux / volumineuse

lourd / lourde

léger / légère

massif / massive

lourd / lourde

'Lourd / lourde' means heavy. 'Léger / légère' means light, 'massif / massive' means massive, and 'volumineux / volumineuse' means bulky.

Common Phrases

These are some useful French phrases and expressions related to weight and mass, helpful for everyday conversation.

French Phrase	English Translation	French Example	English Example
Quel est le poids ?	What is the weight?	Quel est le poids de ce sac ?	What is the weight of this bag?
Ça pèse combien ?	How much does it weigh?	Ça pèse combien, ce gâteau ?	How much does this cake weigh?
Peser sur la balance	To weigh on the scale	Je vais peser ça sur la balance.	I’m going to weigh this on the scale.
Avoir du poids	To have weight / influence	Ce portefeuille a du poids.	This wallet has weight. (figurative: influence)
Être lourd comme	To be as heavy as	Il est lourd comme un sac de sable.	He is as heavy as a sack of sand.
Perdre du poids	To lose weight	Elle veut perdre du poids avant l’été.	She wants to lose weight before summer.
Prendre du poids	To gain weight	J’ai pris du poids pendant les vacances.	I gained weight during the holidays.
Peser le pour et le contre	To weigh the pros and cons	Il faut peser le pour et le contre.	You have to weigh the pros and cons.
Résister au poids	To withstand the weight	Ce pont résiste à un grand poids.	This bridge withstands a heavy weight.
Supporter une charge	To bear a load	Ce plancher supporte une charge importante.	This floor bears a significant load.

Summary

You have now learned the key French nouns, verbs, adjectives, and common phrases related to weight and mass. This vocabulary will help you talk about measuring, describing, and handling weight in everyday situations.

Flashcards (1 of 40)

English Singular: weight
English Plural: weights
English Example: What is the weight of this suitcase?

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

French