ton/tɔ̃/
noun / determiner · B1 · Frequency 1353
nounmasculine
Meanings
tone, a sound of a particular frequency
Refers to the pitch or frequency characteristic of a sound
tone, a musical interval between two notes
Refers to the distance between two musical notes
tone, manner or attitude of speaking
Refers to the emotional or attitudinal quality expressed in speech
tone, shade or gradation of a colour
Refers to the lightness or darkness variation of a colour
Your
Examples
Le ton produit par ce diapason reste stable pendant plusieurs secondes.
The tone produced by this tuning fork remains stable for several seconds.
Dans cette gamme, un ton sépare le do du ré.
In this scale, a whole tone separates C from D.
Son ton calme a rassuré les clients mécontents.
His calm tone reassured the dissatisfied customers.
Ce ton de vert convient bien aux murs de la chambre.
This shade of green suits the bedroom walls well.
Collocations
- ton aiguhigh tone
- ton majeurmajor tone
- ton sarcastiquesarcastic tone
Common mistakes
J'ai un bon ton de voix, donc tout le monde m'écoute.
J'ai un bon timbre de voix, donc tout le monde m'écoute.
'Ton' refers to pitch, interval, speaking attitude, or colour shade — not vocal quality; 'timbre' is the correct term for voice quality.
Ton est très élevé dans cette phrase.
Le ton est très élevé dans cette phrase.
'Ton' as a noun requires a determiner (e.g., 'le ton'); it cannot stand alone — the definite article 'le' is missing here.
Related words
synonymintonationintonation (all senses)
determinermasculine
Meanings
your
Used before masculine singular nouns to indicate second-person singular possession.
Examples
Prends ton manteau, car il fait froid dehors.
Take your coat because it is cold outside.
As-tu retrouvé ton téléphone après le cours ?
Did you find your phone after class?
Ton frère travaille dans une librairie près de la gare.
Your brother works in a bookshop near the station.
Collocations
- ton amiyour friend
- ton livreyour book
- ton styloyour pen
Related words
Grammar note
The possessive determiner ton is used only before masculine singular nouns.
nounmasculine
Meanings
tone, a sound of a particular frequency
Refers to the pitch or frequency characteristic of a sound
tone, a musical interval between two notes
Refers to the distance between two musical notes
tone, manner or attitude of speaking
Refers to the emotional or attitudinal quality expressed in speech
tone, shade or gradation of a colour
Refers to the lightness or darkness variation of a colour
Your
Examples
Les tons aigus de la flûte traversaient la salle.
The flute's high tones carried across the room.
Les deux notes sont séparées par deux tons.
The two notes are separated by two tones.
Ses tons de voix ont changé quand il a compris la situation.
His tone of voice changed when he understood the situation.
Le peintre a mélangé plusieurs tons de bleu pour représenter la mer.
The painter mixed several shades of blue to depict the sea.