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How to Say ‘Downward dog’ in French

Le chien tête en bas

luh shy-an tet on bah

[luh shy-an tet on bah]

Phrase Breakdown

Le chien

luh shy-an

The dog

'Ch' sounds like English 'sh'. 'Chien' ends with a nasal 'yan' sound: 'luh-shyan'.

Example

Le chien dort.

The dog is sleeping.

Words in this phrase

[luh]

the

Used as a function word to indicate a noun and to mark the noun as definite.

Example

Le chat noir.

The black cat.

chien

[shy-an]

dog

A domesticated animal, typically kept as a pet.

Example

Le chien aboie fort.

The dog barks loudly.

tête en bas

tet on bah

head down

Together with 'le chien' this names the yoga pose 'downward dog'. Say it 'tet-an-ba', with a silent 's'.

Example

La posture tête en bas.

The head-down pose.

Words in this phrase

tête

[tet]

head

Feminine noun for the head; 'tête en bas' means upside down / head down.

Example

Gardez la tête droite.

Keep your head straight.

[on]

A preposition indicating inclusion within a space.

Example

Il est en France.

He is in France.

bas

[bah]

down / low

Adverb or adjective meaning low or down; 'en bas' means downward.

Example

Regardez en bas.

Look down.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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