The most direct translation for 'building' in French is bâtiment. It's a great all-purpose word you can use in many situations. But what if you want to be more specific? Is it a skyscraper, an apartment block, or a historic edifice? French, like English, has a rich vocabulary to describe the structures we see every day. Whether you're navigating a French city, describing your neighborhood, or just want to expand your vocabulary, knowing the right word for the right building is key. Let's construct our knowledge and explore 9 different ways to say 'building' in French!

1. The standard 'building' – bâtiment

The standard and most versatile French word for 'building' is bâtiment. It's the perfect catch-all term for any structure with a roof and walls, used in both formal and informal contexts to refer to a building in a general sense.

A key point to remember is that bâtiment is a masculine noun. This means you must always use masculine articles and adjectives with it:

• un bâtiment (a building)
• le bâtiment (the building)
• des bâtiments (buildings)
• un beau bâtiment (a beautiful building)

Use bâtiment when you don't know a building's specific function. While it's always correct, native speakers often prefer a more precise term if available, such as maison (house), immeuble (apartment building), or bureau (office building).

Beyond just a physical structure, le bâtiment also refers to the entire construction industry or trade. So, if a French person says, Je travaille dans le bâtiment, they mean 'I work in construction'.

💡 * Quel est ce grand bâtiment là-bas ? (What is that big building over there?)

• Ce bâtiment historique est classé monument national. (This historic building is classified as a national monument.)
• Le secteur du bâtiment recrute beaucoup en ce moment. (The construction sector is hiring a lot right now.)
• Il y a plusieurs bâtiments administratifs dans ce quartier. (There are several administrative buildings in this neighborhood.)

The 'apartment building' or 'office block' – immeuble

The 'apartment building' or 'office block' – immeuble

In French, the word immeuble refers to a large, multi-story building that contains separate units, such as apartments or offices. It is the standard term for an 'apartment building' or an 'office block'.

You might wonder how immeuble differs from bâtiment, which also means 'building'. While bâtiment is a general term for any structure, immeuble specifically implies a building divided into multiple units (apartments or offices). A single-family home is a bâtiment, but not an immeuble.

The context usually clarifies the type of building. If someone says, J'habite dans un grand immeuble, it means 'I live in a large apartment building'. Similarly, an immeuble de bureaux is an 'office building'.

Interestingly, the word immeuble is related to the French word for 'immovable' (immobile). In a legal and real estate context, an immeuble is a piece of 'immovable property', distinguishing it from movable possessions, or meubles.

💡 * Il habite au cinquième étage d'un vieil immeuble.

• Nos bureaux se trouvent dans un immeuble moderne en centre-ville.
• L'ascenseur de l'immeuble est encore en panne.
• C'est un immeuble de rapport avec plusieurs locataires.

The formal or impressive 'edifice' – édifice

The French word édifice is a direct cognate of the English 'edifice,' and they share a very similar meaning. It's a formal and somewhat literary term used to describe a large, impressive building, often one of public or historical importance.

While bâtiment is the general, everyday word for 'building,' édifice carries a sense of grandeur, architectural significance, or historical weight. You would use it for structures like monuments, cathedrals, palaces, or major government buildings, but not for a simple house or office block.

Édifice is a masculine noun, so it's always un édifice or l'édifice. Remember that the 'é' at the beginning gives it an 'ay' sound, and the final 'ce' is pronounced like 'ss'.

Just like in English, édifice can also be used figuratively to describe a large, complex system, theory, or structure of ideas. For instance, one might speak of l'édifice social (the social structure) or l'édifice de ses rêves (the edifice of his dreams).

Due to its formal tone, you'll encounter édifice more often in literature, news reports, historical texts, and architectural discussions than in casual conversation. For your apartment building, you would simply use immeuble or bâtiment.

💡 * Le Louvre est un édifice magnifique au cœur de Paris.

• La mairie est un vieil édifice qui date du 18ème siècle.
• Cet édifice religieux a été construit il y a plus de 500 ans.
• Il a consacré sa vie à construire l'édifice de sa théorie.

1. The 'house' – maison

The most common and direct word for 'house' or 'home' in French is maison.

Crucially, maison is a feminine noun. This means you must always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, such as la maison (the house) or une grande maison (a big house).

To say you are 'at home' or 'going home', you use the prepositional phrase à la maison. This is one of the most fundamental phrases for beginners to learn.

The word maison is also used to describe something as 'homemade'. The phrase fait maison literally translates to 'house made' and is widely used for food and other products.

💡 * J'habite dans une belle maison avec un jardin.

• Après l'école, je rentre à la maison.
• Ce restaurant ne sert que des plats faits maison.
• La maison de mes rêves est près de la mer.

The 'skyscraper' – gratte-ciel

The French word for a skyscraper is gratte-ciel.

This is a compound noun that literally translates to "sky-scraper." It comes from the verb gratter (to scrape) and the noun ciel (sky), perfectly mirroring its English counterpart.

Gratte-ciel is a masculine noun. Therefore, you use masculine articles like un gratte-ciel (a skyscraper) and le gratte-ciel (the skyscraper).

Interestingly, the word is invariable, meaning its plural form is the same as its singular form: des gratte-ciel (skyscrapers). You do not add an 's'.

This is the standard term used across all registers, from casual conversation to formal architectural discussions, to describe a very tall, modern building.

💡 * New York est célèbre pour ses immenses gratte-ciel. (New York is famous for its huge skyscrapers.)

• Mon bureau est au sommet d'un gratte-ciel. (My office is at the top of a skyscraper.)
• La construction de ce gratte-ciel a pris trois ans. (The construction of this skyscraper took three years.)
• On peut voir plusieurs gratte-ciel depuis cette colline. (We can see several skyscrapers from this hill.)

The 'construction' or 'structure' – construction

One of the easiest French words to learn for 'construction' or 'structure' is its direct cognate: construction. Because it looks and means almost the same thing as its English counterpart, it's a straightforward term to add to your vocabulary.

Just like in English, construction in French refers to both the process of building something (e.g., a house, a road) and the resulting physical building or structure itself. The context will make it clear which meaning is intended.

A key point to remember is that construction is a feminine noun. Therefore, you must use feminine articles and agreements, such as la construction (the construction) or une nouvelle construction (a new construction).

The word's utility extends beyond the physical world. It can also describe the structure or composition of abstract things, such as la construction d'une phrase (the construction of a sentence) or la construction d'un argument (the construction of an argument).

💡 * La construction du nouveau stade prendra deux ans.

• C'est une vieille construction en pierre.
• J'admire la construction de ce roman.

The 'pavilion' or 'detached house' – pavillon

When talking about housing in France, one of the most common terms you'll hear is un pavillon, which translates to a 'pavilion' or, more accurately, a 'detached house'.

A pavillon specifically refers to a single-family, standalone house, typically found in suburban areas (en banlieue). It often implies that the house has its own small plot of land or garden. It's the French equivalent of a suburban home.

The word pavillon is a masculine noun. Therefore, you always use masculine articles like un or le. For example, you would say le pavillon (the house) or un beau pavillon (a beautiful house).

💡 * Ils ont acheté un pavillon en banlieue l'année dernière. (They bought a detached house in the suburbs last year.)

• Mon rêve est d'avoir un pavillon avec un grand jardin pour les enfants. (My dream is to have a house with a big garden for the children.)
• Le pavillon au bout de la rue est à vendre. (The house at the end of the street is for sale.)

The business 'premises' – le local / les locaux

When referring to a physical space for business or professional activities, the French word for 'premises' is le local (singular) or les locaux (plural). It's a fundamental term in commercial and administrative contexts.

This term is incredibly versatile. It can describe an office (un local à usage de bureau), a retail space (un local commercial), a warehouse, or a workshop. Think of it as the general term for a space designated for a specific professional activity.

Use le local to refer to a single, specific unit or room. Use les locaux when talking about the entire premises or facility, which may consist of multiple rooms, floors, or even buildings. For example, you might rent un local (a single space) within les locaux (the premises) of a larger building.

Be careful not to confuse the noun le local with the adjective local/locale, which means 'local' in the sense of 'from the area'. For instance, le marché local means 'the local market', which is different from le local du marché (the market's premises).

💡 * L'entreprise recherche un nouveau local pour ses bureaux.

• Les locaux de l'école ont été entièrement rénovés.
• Le bail pour notre local commercial expire le mois prochain.
• Une visite des locaux est prévue pour les nouveaux employés.

1. The 'property' (building and land) – propriété

When you want to talk about 'property' as real estate (a building, land, or both), the primary French word is la propriété. It's a feminine noun, so you'll always use feminine articles like la or une.

The term propriété is comprehensive, covering the land and any structures on it. It’s the word you use for a house, an estate, or a plot of land that is owned. You will often see signs that read Propriété privée, which means 'Private property'.

Propriété also has a strong legal meaning tied to ownership. The person who owns the property is the propriétaire (owner), and the legal document proving ownership is the titre de propriété (title deed or property title).

Don't confuse propriété with immobilier. While they are related, l'immobilier refers to the real estate sector or market in general. In contrast, la propriété refers to a specific, tangible piece of property that someone owns.

💡 * Nous avons acheté une magnifique propriété en bord de mer. (We bought a magnificent property by the seaside.)

• Le panneau indique « Propriété privée, défense d'entrer ». (The sign says “Private property, no trespassing.”)
• Il doit signer le titre de propriété chez le notaire demain. (He has to sign the property deed at the notary's office tomorrow.)
• La valeur de sa propriété a doublé en dix ans. (The value of his property has doubled in ten years.)

Are there other ways to say 'building' in French?

So, are there other ways to say 'building' in French?

This list features the most common French words for 'building,' from the general bâtiment to the specific immeuble. However, the world of architecture and construction is vast, and French has a rich vocabulary to match, including technical, historical, and regional terms.

To discover more specific terms, try searching for the French words for different types of structures you're interested in, such as 'warehouse' (un entrepôt), 'mansion' (un hôtel particulier), or 'skyscraper' (un gratte-ciel).

Pay attention when you read about French cities, watch French films, or even walk through a Francophone neighborhood. You'll start to notice how different words are used to describe the structures that make up the urban landscape, from a historic édifice to a simple cabane (shack).

If you want to explore more synonyms and related architectural vocabulary, online dictionaries like WordReference or Larousse are excellent starting points. Look up bâtiment to see a network of related words and their precise contexts.

I hope this guide has helped you build a stronger vocabulary. To finish, here's a famous quote from the architect Le Corbusier that captures the art of building: L'architecture est le jeu savant, correct et magnifique des volumes assemblés sous la lumière. (Architecture is the masterful, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.)