ciel/sjɛl/
noun / interjection · A2 · Frequency 870
nounmasculine
Meanings
sky
Refers to the space above the earth in nature, a common meaning.
heaven
In religious or literary contexts, refers to an ideal or divine dwelling place.
Examples
Le ciel devient rose au coucher du soleil.
The sky turns pink at sunset.
Un avion disparaît rapidement dans le ciel.
A plane quickly disappears into the sky.
Elle espère retrouver ses proches au ciel.
She hopes to meet her loved ones again in heaven.
Collocations
- un ciel sans nuagesa cloudless sky
- gagner le cielto go to heaven
Common mistakes
le ciel est un endroit
le ciel est un lieu
When 'ciel' means 'heaven', 'lieu' is more appropriate than 'endroit' to express a sacred or ideal place.
Related words
antonymenferHell
nounmasculine
Meanings
the sky, the space above the earth
Commonly refers to the natural sky seen above the earth, the most frequent meaning.
canopy (of a bed, etc.)
Refers to a covering, such as a bed canopy, a derived meaning.
Examples
Le ciel s'est assombri avant le début de l'orage.
The sky darkened before the storm began.
Depuis la colline, on voit le ciel se teinter de rose au coucher du soleil.
From the hill, you can see the sky turn pink at sunset.
Les enfants ont levé les yeux vers le ciel pour chercher la lune.
The children looked up at the sky to look for the moon.
Collocations
- un ciel bleua blue sky
- un ciel de lita bed canopy
Common mistakes
le ciel bleu
le ciel est bleu
When describing the color of the sky, a full sentence with a verb is needed; learners often omit the verb.
ciel (pluriel)
ciels
The plural form of ‘ciel’ is ‘ciels’; learners often forget the plural form.
Related words
synonymfirmamentfirmament
interjection
Meanings
Heavens!
Commonly used as an interjection to express surprise, astonishment, or strong emotion.
Heavens!, used to call upon God or express a plea
Used as an exclamation to call upon God or express a plea or surprise.
Examples
Ciel, j'ai oublié mon passeport à la maison !
Heavens, I left my passport at home!
Ciel, quelle surprise de vous voir ici !
Heavens, what a surprise to see you here!
Ciel, la rivière a débordé pendant la nuit !
Heavens, the river overflowed during the night!
Collocations
- Oh ciel !Oh heavens!
- Ciel bleublue sky
- Ciel de DieuGod's heaven
Common mistakes
Oh ciel! Je ne peux pas croire ça.
Oh ciel! Je ne peux pas y croire.
After the interjection ‘ciel’, the pronoun ‘y’ is often used to refer to the previously mentioned thing, avoiding grammatical errors.
Related words
synonymohinterjection expressing surprise or astonishment
synonymmon dieumy God, expressing surprise or plea
nounmasculine
Meanings
sky
Refers to the space above the earth in nature, a common meaning.
heaven
In religious or literary contexts, refers to an ideal or divine dwelling place.
Examples
Les cieux se sont dégagés après l'orage.
The skies cleared after the storm.
Les astronomes observent les cieux avec de puissants télescopes.
Astronomers observe the sky with powerful telescopes.
Dans les cieux, les anges veillent sur les humains.
In heaven, angels watch over humans.
nounmasculine
Meanings
the sky, the space above the earth
Commonly refers to the natural sky seen above the earth, the most frequent meaning.
canopy (of a bed, etc.)
Refers to a covering, such as a bed canopy, a derived meaning.
Examples
Après l'orage, les ciels se sont éclaircis au-dessus de la vallée.
After the storm, the skies cleared above the valley.
Les ciels d'hiver deviennent rapidement gris avant la tombée de la nuit.
Winter skies quickly turn gray before nightfall.
Le photographe compare les ciels de plusieurs régions.
The photographer compares the skies of several regions.