Generic Word For Stone And Rock in French
āUne pierreā is the gĆ©nĆ©ral term used to say ārockā or āstoneā. In doubt, use that one :-)
Note that āPierreā is also a French first name: Peter.
If something is made of stone, youād say āen pierreā. You could also say āde pierreā but itās not as common.
Regarde la jolie maison en/de pierre. Cāest la maison de Pierre je croisā¦
Look at the pretty stone house. Itās Peterās house I thinkā¦
So how could you say if itās āune maison de pierre or de Pierre ?ā⦠as often, context would tell. But I have to admit this one is super confusing!

What is a Pebble in French?
āLe caillouā means the small rock. Maybe a pebbleā¦
Note that the plural is irregular: it takes a silent āxā instead of an āsā. āUn caillou, des caillouxā.
Now you know the meaning of your kidās favorite French cartoon character: the sweet little boy āCaillouā ā āPebbleā, named as such probably because he has no hair.

In-depth audiobook covering the foundations as well as the difficulties of todayās French pronunciation
Specific French Stone Words
What Is Gravel In French?
āLe gravierā is gravel. It is mostly used as an ensemble, as a surface.
Jāai un caillou dans ma chaussure ; Ƨa doit ĆŖtre une petite pierre qui est entrĆ©e quand je marchais sur le gravier dans la cour.
I have a pebble in my shoe: it must be a small stone which got in when I was walking on the gravel in the courtyard.
What Is Boulder In French?
āUn rocherā is a boulder. Une trĆØs grosse pierreā¦
So whatās the difference between āune pierreā et āun rocherā ? Iām not exactly sure. I always say that I can carry a stone but not a boulderā¦
So now, letās look at all this vocabulary in picture in a short video I shot during my family vacation in ArdĆØche, France. A good French listening practice! Turn the CC on for French and English subtitles.
What Does āLa Rocheā Mean In French?
āLa rocheā is the geological term for stone, as youād find it when you on a dig. We really donāt use it much in French except in this geological register.
Unfortunately, since it sounds like ārockā, students tend to use it a lot: people will probably figure out what you mean, but chances are that you should have used āune pierreā instead.
What About āLe Roc, La Roqueā in French?
Hum⦠This words are found a lot in proper names in France, as featured in the video below. It usually refers to a sharp stone peak of some sort.
Again, Iād say donāt use it unless you are referring to a proper name.
Here is another Spoken French practice video I made during my vacation⦠this time in Provence (you get to visit France with me :-)
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What Is āUn Galetā in French?
āUn galetā is a particular sort of stone: one you find by the beach or sometimes creeks and river beds : a river pebble. We have many of these where I live, in Brittany !
How Do You Say Gem in French?
The French word for a gem, a precious stone is āune pierre prĆ©cieuseā.
My favorite kind of stone!
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