bateau/ba.to/
noun / adjective · A1 · Frequency 723
nounmasculine
Meanings
boat
Generally a small vessel; sometimes used generically for a boat.
Examples
Le bateau quitte le port avant le lever du soleil.
The boat leaves the port before sunrise.
Un bateau de recherche est arrivé près de l'île.
A research vessel arrived near the island.
Le capitaine a conduit le bateau jusqu'à la rive opposée.
The captain piloted the boat to the opposite bank.
Collocations
- prendre le bateauto take the boat
Common mistakes
Nous prenons le batteau pour aller sur l’île.
Nous prenons le bateau pour aller sur l’île.
The French word bateau is often misspelled as batteau; the correct spelling is bateau, meaning “boat” or “ship.”
Related words
synonymnavireship, usually a large vessel used for maritime transport or military purposes.
synonymvaisseauship, vessel
synonymembarcationsmall boat; craft
adjectivefeminine
Meanings
banal, unoriginal, hackneyed
Often used to describe ideas or works that lack originality.
Examples
Son excuse bateau n'a convaincu personne.
His hackneyed excuse convinced no one.
Le film repose sur une histoire bateau que l'on a déjà vue plusieurs fois.
The film is based on a banal story that people have already seen several times.
Pour un discours aussi important, cette formule bateau manque vraiment d'originalité.
For such an important speech, this hackneyed formula is truly lacking in originality.
Collocations
- un argument bateaua hackneyed argument
Common mistakes
un idée bateau
une idée bateau
As an adjective, bateau must agree in gender and number with the noun idée which is feminine, so it should be une idée bateau.
Related words
antonymoriginaloriginal, creative, not clichéd
nounmasculine
Meanings
boat
Generally a small vessel; sometimes used generically for a boat.
Examples
Les bateaux quittent le port avant le lever du soleil.
The boats leave the harbor before sunrise.
Après la tempête, plusieurs bateaux sont restés au quai.
After the storm, several boats remained at the quay.
Les bateaux de pêche rentrent avec leurs filets pleins.
The fishing boats return with their nets full.
adjectivefeminine
Meanings
banal, unoriginal, hackneyed
Often used to describe ideas or works that lack originality.
Examples
Le candidat a présenté des arguments bateaux que personne n'a pris au sérieux.
The candidate put forward some hackneyed arguments that nobody took seriously.
Cette comédie accumule des personnages bateaux et des situations prévisibles.
This comedy piles up banal characters and predictable situations.