gentillesse

kindness

noun zhahn-tee-YES Rare

Usage Note

Gentillesse is the quality of being gentil ('kind, nice'). It is uncountable in most contexts, but une gentillesse can mean a kind act or gesture. The phrase par gentillesse means 'out of kindness.' It is warmer and more personal than amabilité, which has a more formal or professional connotation.

Examples

"Il l'a aidée par pure gentillesse."

Natural Translation

He helped her out of pure kindness.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Passé Composé vs Imparfait: When to Use Each

Passé composé tells the story; imparfait paints the scene. Use this 2-second flowchart, trigger words, and paired examples to pick the right French tense.

June 3, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

Je t'aime vs Je t'adore: I Love You in French

Je t'aime is the real romantic I love you; je t'adore means warm fondness, not romance. Here's the person-vs-thing rule and the bien trap that flips it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

En, Au, Aux: French Prepositions for Countries

Use en for feminine countries, au for masculine, aux for plural, and à for cities. Full French preposition rule for countries, with a lookup table and traps.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Avoir or Être? Picking the Right Past-Tense Helper

Use avoir for the passé composé unless the verb is reflexive or one of ~16 DR MRS VANDERTRAMP motion verbs, which take être and force agreement.

June 4, 2026 5 min read