vraie

Vraie is the feminine singular form of the French adjective vrai, meaning real, true or genuine. It derives from Latin verus and is used to indicate authenticity or accuracy of a feminine noun or subject. As with most French adjectives, vraie agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

Usage and examples

Vraie accompanies feminine nouns: une vraie histoire, une vraie amie, la vraie nature. In predicative use after être, the adjective also agrees: elle est vraie, la réponse est vraie. The masculine form is vrai, the feminine plural is vraies, and the masculine plural is vrais (vraie in the feminine singular). In phrases such as les vraies raisons or les valeurs vraies, the plural forms reflect gender and number.

Contexts

In everyday language, vraie emphasizes authenticity or sincerity: une vraie personne, une vraie réussite. In philosophy or discourse on truth, vraie can appear alongside concepts like la vraie nature ou la vraie connaissance. In science and measurement, the term is common in contrast with approximations or measurements: la valeur vraie (the true value) versus une valeur mesurée. In this sense, vraie functions as a qualifier of a concept considered to be correct or exact.

Forms

Masculine singular: vrai; feminine singular: vraie; masculine plural: vrais; feminine plural: vraies.

See also

Vrai (masculine form), vraie valeur, valeur vraie, vraies raisons. The word is primarily a descriptive adjective and does not stand alone as a noun in standard usage, except in fixed phrases where the feminine form directly modifies a noun.