Vocabulary list
Morceau or pièce? French words for portions, parts and pieces
Name a piece of cake, a puzzle piece, a coin and a piece of music. Learn morceau and pièce through pictures, useful phrases and a short quiz.
- A2
- 9 words
- Gender marked
- With examples
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Use un morceau for a portion or fragment: un morceau de pain. Use une pièce for a component or separate item: une pièce du puzzle, une pièce de monnaie. Music is a useful overlap: un morceau de musique can be a complete piece or track.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Six pictures: portion or separate item?
Find:
Portions and fragments · un morceau, des morceaux
Separate units · une pièce, des pièces
Music and theatre
What is the difference between morceau and pièce?
La pièce du puzzle est cassée en deux morceaux.
The puzzle piece is broken into two pieces.
Before it breaks, the puzzle has one shaped component: une pièce. After it breaks, you can count the fragments: deux morceaux. A morceau can also be cut neatly on purpose, as with cake. Size and tidiness alone do not decide the word.
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| un morceau | des morceaux | a piece / pieces |
| une pièce | des pièces | a part, coin, room or work / several of them |