Femme or épouse: woman and wife in French

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Compare une femme, ma femme and mon épouse through introductions, a short scene and a quiz. Learn why épouse takes mon and what sa femme tells you.

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In short

Une femme means “a woman”; ma femme normally means “my wife”. Mon épouse also means “my wife” and gives the introduction a more formal tone. Both femme and épouse are feminine nouns.

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A man introduces his wife to a colleague at a reception.
An introduction gives ma femme and mon épouse their context. Illustration: Atelier

What is the difference between femme and épouse?

une femmea woman

Focus: an adult woman, with her relationship supplied separately

une femme + description

Une femme attend devant le musée.
A woman is waiting outside the museum.

Cette femme est notre nouvelle directrice.
This woman is our new director.

ma femmemy wife

Focus: an everyday way to name the marital relationship

Voici ma femme, Léa.

Ma femme travaille ici.
My wife works here.

mon épousemy wife

Focus: an explicit marital relationship, often with a more formal tone

Je vous présente mon épouse.

Je vous présente mon épouse, Léa.
May I introduce my wife, Léa.

Meet Léa at a reception

Une présentation
  1. Nora

    Tu connais la femme près de la fenêtre ?

    Do you know the woman near the window?

  2. Karim

    Oui, c’est Léa, ma femme. Je vais te la présenter.

    Yes, that’s Léa, my wife. I’ll introduce you.

  3. Karim

    Léa, voici Nora, ma collègue.

    Léa, this is Nora, my colleague.

  4. Léa

    Bonjour Nora, ravie de faire votre connaissance.

    Hello Nora, pleased to meet you.

  5. Nora

    Bonjour Léa. Karim m’a parlé de votre travail.

    Hello Léa. Karim told me about your work.

Nora first identifies Léa by location: la femme près de la fenêtre. Karim then supplies the relationship: ma femme. The definite article la simply identifies which woman Nora means. For a more formal introduction, Karim could say Je vous présente mon épouse, Léa.

Why do you say mon amie but ma femme?

A vowel changes the possessive form
Before femmeBefore épouseEnglish
ma femmemon épousemy wife
ta femmeton épouseyour wife (tu)
sa femmeson épousehis wife / her wife
votre femmevotre épouseyour wife (vous)

Before a feminine noun beginning with a vowel, French uses mon, ton and son: mon épouse. The noun stays feminine, so its adjective agrees in the feminine: Mon épouse est française. With femme, the possessive is ma, ta or sa.

Claire arrive avec sa femme, Léa.

Claire is arriving with her wife, Léa.

Karim arrive avec sa femme, Léa.

Karim is arriving with his wife, Léa.

In both sentences, sa agrees with the feminine noun femme. The name identifies whose wife Léa is. To introduce a husband, use mon mari in everyday language or mon époux for a more formal tone. For another relationship, choose its own word: ma collègue, mon amie or the person’s name.

Question 1No account needed
Choose the translation of this sentence.Une femme attend dehors.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

A woman is waiting outside.. The sentence introduces a woman; it gives no relationship to the speaker.

Question 2No account needed
Complete the introduction.Je vous présente ___ épouse, Léa.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

mon. The noun is feminine, but its initial vowel calls for the masculine singular possessive form.

Question 3No account needed
What determines sa in sa femme?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The feminine noun meaning wife. The possessive agrees with the feminine noun. The phrase can mean either “his wife” or “her wife”.

Question 4No account needed
Which version usually gives the introduction a more formal tone?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je vous présente mon épouse, Léa.. The second option names the same marital relationship as the third, with a more formal tone.

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