It’s not an overstatement that the French language and the notion of beauty go hand in hand in the public imagination. Let’s see some expressions, sayings, and quotes related to beauty in French!
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- 1. Beauté: Types of beauty in French
- 2. French expressions with beauté
- 3. French proverbs about beauty
- 4. Famous French quotes about beauty
1. Beauté: Types of beauty in French
Beauty exists in countless forms. The following French expressions will help you describe just the type of beauty you have in mind:
| French expression | English translation |
|---|---|
| une beauté (f) cachée | a hidden beauty |
| une beauté classique | a classic beauty |
| une beauté éblouissante | a dazzling beauty |
| une beauté éclatante | a brilliant/ bright beauty |
| une beauté éternelle | a timeless beauty |
| une beauté éthérée | an ethereal beauty |
| une beauté fatale | a dangerous beauty |
| une beauté frappante | a striking beauty |
| une beauté intérieure | inner beauty |
| une beauté naturelle | natural beauty |
| une beauté pure | a pure beauty |
| une beauté saisissante | a stunning/ striking beauty |
| une remarquable beauté | a remarkable beauty |
2. French expressions with beauté
Être de toute beauté: un/une … de toute beauté
To be very beautiful, to be of exceptional beauty.
Ce panorama est de toute beauté. = This panorama is of exceptional beauty.
Être en beauté
To appear more beautiful than usual.
Mon jardin est en beauté. = My garden is particularly beautiful (now).
Commencer qc. en beauté
To get something off to a lovely/ great start.
commencer l’année en beauté = get the year off to a great start
Finir/ terminer qc en beauté
To end something on a high note, to end with success, to end beautifully.
Nadal a fini en beauté contre Djokovic. = Nadal ended [the match] against Djokovic on a high note.
Il a terminé son discours en beauté. = He ended his speech magnificently.
Beauté du diable
A dangerous beauty/ the beauty of the young.
Meaning: Youth is beautiful in itself, and this can be misleading. A beautiful young person may have an unpleasant or even evil personality.
3. French proverbs about beauty + translation
La beauté ne fait pas tout.
Beauty is not everything./ Beauty is skin deep.
La vraie beauté est intérieure.
True beauty lies within.
Beauté sans bonté est comme vin éventé.
Beauty without kindness is like stale wine.
(vin éventé = aired, stale wine)
La beauté ne se mange pas en salade.
Beauty will not help you make ends meet.
Note: This is an exciting one! This saying was quite popular in certain French regions a few decades ago. It was often said when someone married a handsome/beautiful person who did not have much money or a well-paying profession. Meaning: he/she might be beautiful, but that’ll not be of much help when it comes to making a living.
Find more French proverbs here.
4. Famous French quotes about beauty + translation
« Aucune grâce extérieure n’est complète si la beauté intérieure ne la vivifie. La beauté de l’âme se répand comme une lumière mystérieuse sur la beauté du corps. » (Victor Hugo)
No outer charm is complete until inner beauty animates it. The soul’s beauty shines on the body’s beauty like a mysterious light.
« La beauté commence au moment où vous décidez d’être vous-même. » (Coco Chanel)
Beauty starts the moment you decide to be yourself.
« La beauté plaît aux yeux, la douceur charme l’âme. » (Voltaire)
Beauty pleases the eyes, kindness charms the soul.
« J’ai donné ma jeunesse et ma beauté aux hommes et maintenant je donne ma sagesse et mon expérience aux animaux. » (Brigitte Bardot)
I gave my youth and my beauty to men and now I’m giving my wisdom and experience to animals.
« La bêtise est toujours la conservation de la beauté ; elle éloigne les rides. » (Charles Baudelaire)
Foolishness always preserves beauty; it wards off wrinkles.
éloigner qc = to move/ take sg away, to ward sg (danger, suspicions) off
« Il y a des moments de la vie où une sorte de beauté naît de la multiplicité des ennuis qui nous assaillent. » (Marcel Proust)
There are moments in life when a kind of beauty is born of the abundance of troubles that assail us.
« La beauté est dans les yeux de celui qui regarde. » (Oscar Wilde)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Want to build a solid French vocabulary? Find more hand-picked lists and glossaries here. Your future self will thank you for it!