A guide to saying it like a local
How to Say "A half" in French
Use 'la moitié' for 'a half' when referring to a portion of something. It's a common way to divide things.
la moitié
lah mwah-TYAYneutral
French TTS · 0:01
Use this when you're talking about splitting something in two, like a pizza or a cake. It's also used for fractions, such as 'half an hour' ('une demi-heure').
Alternatives
- un demiUse this when referring to a drink, like a beer.
- une moitiéThis is grammatically correct but 'la moitié' is far more common as the standard term.
Ways to get it wrong
Pronouncing the 't'
The 't' in 'moitié' is silent; don't pronounce it.
Forgetting the article
Always use 'la' before 'moitié' when it means 'half of something'.
The same phrase in other languages
Frequently asked
how to say half an hour in french
You say 'une demi-heure'. Note that 'demi' comes before the noun here.
french for half a pizza
You would say 'la moitié d'une pizza'. It means 'half of a pizza'.
difference between moitié and demi
'Moitié' is the general noun for 'half', while 'demi' is often used as an adjective or in specific contexts like drinks.
