le bleu

Meaning (in English)

Bleu most commonly means “blue” as a color.

It can also mean:

• “bruised” (informal/common in everyday French), as in having a bruise: J’ai le bras tout bleu = “My arm is all bruised/black-and-blue.”
• “inexperienced, new” (often as a noun or adjective in contexts like the military, police, work, etc.): une bleue / un bleu = a rookie, a newcomer.

As a noun, it can also refer to:

• A bruise: un bleu = “a bruise.”
• Blue cheese (short for fromage bleu): un bleu = a blue-veined cheese.

Parts / form

• Basic form: bleu (masculine singular)
• Feminine: bleue
• Masculine plural: bleus
• Feminine plural: bleues

French synonyms

Depending on meaning:

• Color “blue”: azur (sky blue), bleuâtre (bluish), bleu ciel (light blue), bleu marine (navy)
• “Bruised”: meurtri(e), contusionné(e) (more formal)
• “New/inexperienced”: débutant(e), novice, nouveau / nouvelle (context-dependent)

French antonyms

• For the color sense (approximate/oppositional in common use): rouge (red), jaune (yellow)
• For “inexperienced”: expérimenté(e), chevronné(e), aguerri(e)