oral

adjective oh-RAHL Rare

Origin: Latin oralis, from os/oris (mouth)

Also means

spoken

Usage Note

Oral contrasts with écrit (written) and is central to French academic life — un examen oral (an oral exam) or l'épreuve orale is a formal component of the baccalauréat. The plural masculine is oraux. As a noun, passer l'oral means to take the spoken part of an exam.

Examples

"L'examen oral aura lieu demain matin."

Natural Translation

The oral exam will take place tomorrow morning.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Object Pronouns: le, la, lui, leur Order

Le lui or lui le? Use the à-name test to pick le/la vs lui/leur, then one slot chart to order two French object pronouns — plus the command exception.

June 4, 2026 6 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

FrenchNow

French Greetings: Bonjour, Salut, Coucou Explained

Bonjour, salut, or coucou? Pick the right French greeting every time with a simple two-axis guide to formality and time of day, plus how to say goodbye.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read