Neuf vs nouveau to say new in French

In French, to express that something is new, you can use two different adjectives: "neuf" or "nouveau".

Using "neuf" or "nouveau" in French

Look at these examples:

Léo a reçu un vélo tout neuf pour son anniversaire.Leo received a brand new bike for his birthday.

J'ai acheté un nouveau vélo.I bought a new bike.

C'est une voiture d'occasion ?
- Non, elle est neuve.
Is it a second-hand car?
- No, it's new.

Emilie a trouvé sa nouvelle table au marché aux puces.Emilie found her new table at the flea market.


Notice that there is a nuance in French between neuf/neuve and nouveau/nouvelle.

While both mean 'new', neuf implies that it's never been used before, brand new (Note that it cannot apply to living things, e.g. pets), whereas nouveau just means 'new' in a more general sense.

In some context, obviously, both are correct.

However, the main difference of usage is the position in the sentence:

- neuf is placed AFTER the noun
- nouveau is placed BEFORE the noun

 

See also  Beau, nouveau, vieux, fou, mou have two masculine forms and one feminine form (French Adjectives) 

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Léo a reçu un vélo tout neuf pour son anniversaire.Leo received a brand new bike for his birthday.
J'ai acheté un nouveau vélo.I bought a new bike.
Emilie a trouvé sa nouvelle table au marché aux puces.Emilie found her new table at the flea market.
C'est une voiture d'occasion ?
- Non, elle est neuve.
Is it a second-hand car?
- No, it's new.
Let me take a look at that...