main/mɛ̃/
noun · A1 · Frequency 265
nounfeminine
Meanings
hand
Refers to the human hand.
handball (a sport)
Refers to a sport played by hitting a ball with the hand.
quire (a set of sheets of paper)
A unit of paper quantity, usually 24 or 25 sheets.
Examples
Elle s'est coupé la main en ouvrant une boîte.
She cut her hand while opening a box.
Dans notre village, les enfants jouaient à la main sur un terrain poussiéreux.
In our village, the children played handball on a dusty field.
Le papetier a préparé une main de papier pour l'atelier.
The papermaker prepared a quire of paper for the workshop.
Collocations
- la main droitethe right hand
Common mistakes
Il s'est blessé à un main droite.
Il s'est blessé à une main droite.
main is feminine, so it takes une; only the article changes in this sentence.
Related words
synonympalmepalm of the hand
synonympoignéehandle, grip
- antonympiedfoot
nounfeminine
Meanings
hand
Refers to the human hand.
handball (a sport)
Refers to a sport played by hitting a ball with the hand.
quire (a set of sheets of paper)
A unit of paper quantity, usually 24 or 25 sheets.
Examples
Avant le repas, les enfants se lavent les mains.
Before the meal, the children wash their hands.
Ses mains tremblaient après plusieurs heures de travail.
His hands were trembling after several hours of work.
L'imprimeur a acheté deux mains de papier pour cette commande.
The printer bought two quires of paper for this order.