année

year

noun ah-NAY Common

Usage Note

Année and an both mean 'year,' but they are not interchangeable: an counts years as discrete units (il a vingt ans — 'he is twenty'), while année emphasizes the duration or qualities of the year (une bonne année — 'a good year'). This distinction is a classic French grammar point. Bonne année! is the standard New Year's greeting.

Examples

"Bonne année à tous!"

Natural Translation

Happy New Year to everyone!

Literal Translation

Good year to all

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