jeune/ʒœn/
adjective / noun · A1 · Frequency 406
adjective
Meanings
young
Used to describe a person or animal of relatively small age; common and neutral usage.
who has recently acquired a new status, who has newly become something (without being necessarily young in absolute terms)
Used to refer to someone who has recently acquired a certain status or position, e.g., ‘jeune diplômé’ (recent graduate).
Examples
Ce jeune médecin écoute attentivement ses patients.
This young doctor listens carefully to his patients.
Mon voisin est encore jeune, mais il dirige déjà une entreprise.
My neighbor is still young, but he already runs a company.
Le jeune directeur découvre encore les responsabilités de son poste.
The newly appointed director is still discovering the responsibilities of his position.
Collocations
- un jeune étudianta young student
- un jeune diplôméa recent graduate
Common mistakes
un jeune homme
un homme jeune
‘jeune’ usually precedes the noun, but placing it after can change the meaning; position matters.
un jeune diplômé est vieux
un diplômé jeune
When ‘jeune’ indicates recent acquisition of status, it usually precedes the noun to avoid ambiguity.
Related words
nouncommon
Meanings
youth, a young person
Commonly used to refer to young people, especially teenagers or young adults; found in both spoken and written language.
Examples
Un jeune attendait son bus devant la bibliothèque.
A young person was waiting for the bus in front of the library.
La conseillère a proposé à chaque jeune un accompagnement personnalisé.
The counselor offered each young person personalized support.
Ce jeune travaille le soir pour financer ses études.
This young person works in the evenings to pay for their studies.
Collocations
- aider un jeuneto help a young person
Common mistakes
un jeune
un jeune homme
When used as a noun, “jeune” usually means a young person, but alone it can be confused with the adjective; it is better to use “jeune homme” to clearly refer to a young male.
la jeune
la jeune fille
The feminine form “jeune” used alone as a noun is rare; usually “jeune fille” is used to mean a young girl.
Related words
synonymadolescentteenager
synonymjeune adulteyoung adult