tabac

tobacco

noun tah-BAH Less Common

Origin: Spanish 'tabaco', of Caribbean origin

Also means

tobacconist's shop

Usage Note

tabac is silent on the final 'c'. In French daily life, un tabac (or un bureau de tabac) is the corner shop that sells tobacco, newspapers, and lottery tickets—an institution in French towns. The expression passer quelqu'un à tabac means to beat someone up (slang).

Examples

"Il a arrêté le tabac l'année dernière."

Natural Translation

He quit tobacco last year.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

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

Telling Time in French: Hours, Quarters, 24-Hour

Telling time in French means Il est cinq heures, et quart, et demie, and the 24-hour clock like quatorze heures trente. Read any French schedule.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Le, La, Un, Du: French Articles Made Simple

Le, la, un, du, des made simple: pick the French article family by meaning, the form by gender, and dodge the two mistakes English speakers always make.

June 4, 2026 5 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