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Bruit or son? 10 questions on French noise and audio vocabulary

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Test bruit and son in ten everyday questions: making noise, changing the volume, describing pitch and talking about pleasant sounds. Explanations included.

In short

Un bruit is a noise or a sound you notice around you; un son is a sound considered for its quality or as audio. Say faire du bruit for “make noise” and baisser le son for “turn the sound down”. Le bruit de la pluie can be pleasant, and the same engine can be described with bruit or son.

Things you hear and things you listen through

Study first: three audio controls

Change the volume
FrenchMeaningExample
monter le sonturn the sound upTu peux monter le son ?
baisser le sonturn the sound downJe baisse le son de la vidéo.
couper le sonmute the soundElle coupe le son pendant l’appel.

High or low? Loud or quiet?

Pitch and volume are different details
FrenchMeaningWhat it describes
un son aigua high-pitched soundpitch
un son gravea low-pitched soundpitch
un son forta loud soundvolume
un son faiblea quiet soundvolume
Une vidéo près de la fenêtre
  1. Paul

    Le son de la vidéo est trop faible.

    The video’s audio is too quiet.

  2. Zoé

    Je monte le son ?

    Shall I turn it up?

  3. Paul

    Oui, s’il te plaît. Il y a trop de bruit dehors.

    Yes, please. There’s too much noise outside.

Ten questions: expressions, meaning and agreement

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Which expression means “make noise”?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    faire du bruit. Faire du bruit means “make noise”. The other two expressions change the audio volume.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Complete the negative sentence.Les enfants ne font pas ___ bruit.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    de. In this negative sentence, du bruit becomes de bruit: ne font pas de bruit.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    How do you ask someone to turn the volume down?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Tu peux baisser le son ?. Baisser le son means turn it down. Monter turns it up; couper mutes it.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    You want to mute a video completely. Which sentence says that?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Je coupe le son.. Couper le son means to mute it. Baisser un peu only lowers the volume a little.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    You can barely hear the video. Ask for more volume.Le son est trop faible. Tu peux ___ le son ?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    monter. Monter le son increases the volume, which helps when the audio is too quiet.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    A sound is high-pitched but quiet. Which description fits?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    aigu mais faible. Aigu describes a high pitch; faible describes low volume. They describe different properties.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Which adjective describes a low-pitched sound?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    grave. Grave means low-pitched. Fort and faible describe how loud or quiet the sound is.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    Choose the adjective that agrees with the street.La rue est très ___ la nuit.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    bruyante. Rue is feminine singular, so use bruyante. Bruyants is masculine plural.

  9. Question 9No account needed
    What does this sentence show?J’aime le bruit de la pluie.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    The noun can describe a sound someone enjoys.. The speaker likes the sound of rain. Bruit can describe a pleasant everyday sound.

  10. Question 10No account needed
    Compare le bruit du moteur and le son du moteur. Which statement is accurate?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Both can be natural, with a different focus.. Bruit can focus on the engine noise around you; son can focus on its sound quality, for example in a recording.

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