Is water in French leau or eau?

Q: Why is water in French called eau?

eau (n.) French for water, from Old French eue (12c.), from Latin aqua water, rainwater (from PIE root *akwa- water). Brought into English in combinations such as eau de vie brandy (1748), literally water of life; eau de toilette (1907). For eau de Cologne see cologne.

There are several words that have the same spelling.

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Pronunciation Guide
Expand Your Vocabulary
Is water in French l'eau or eau?
Why is water in French called eau?
What is the plural of eau in French?

In c'est de l'eau, de l' is a partitive article (article partitif). It is the singular, contracted form of the partitive article; other forms are de la bière (singular feminine), du vin (singular masculine), des oranges pressées (plural). Many uses of the partitive article can be expressed in English with the word some (even if it would be more idiomatic to omit some here): “the jug contains (some) water”.

In une carafe d'eau, d' is a preposition (the contracted form of de). This is one of the few cases in French where a common noun is not preceded by an article. Roughly speaking, de followed by a noun with no article indicates the origin of a process, the whole from which a part is made, or the purpose of an object (for more details: TLF de¹ I.B). Une carafe d'eau = a jug of (= containing) water.¹ Une carafe de verre (en verre would be more idiomatic here) = a jug (made) of glass. Un cœur de pierre = a heart (made) of stone. Une rangée de chaises = a row of chairs.

There are other cases where that same preposition de is followed by the definite article le/la/l'/les; it is then contracted to du / de la / de l' / des. This is the case when de indicates possession: la maison du boulanger = the baker's house. This is also the case when de indicates an attribute of an object: le bord de l'eau = (lit.) the edge of the water. This is also the case in most cases when de introduces a complement of a verb: sortir de l'eau = to get out of the water.

¹ A jug designed to hold water would be une carafe à eau.

"Water" as in English can designate a or some particular waters or water by its substance (same case as "fire", for instance).

Often, "l'eau" using singular is relative to the substance and often the plural is to indicate specific ones. But there is a plurality of meanings (please have a look here).

Some examples to illustrate the point, but please don't forge a too strict opinion about them as we can surely imagine a variety of meanings using this word:

"L'eau est un élément composé d'hydrogène et d'oxygène" (substance)
"Les eaux nationales" (particular areas)
"L'eau s'est écoulée sur la table" (we are talking about a particular water, probably identified before)

"De l'eau s'est écoulée sur la table" (here the nature of water matters)
"L'eau du puit est consommable" (is particular but refers the nature of the water)
"L'eau de pluie est souvent polluée" (the substance)
"Les eaux de pluie sont souvent polluées" (the substance in its variety as they are inhomogeneous, also "rain" can be considered as particular areas too)
"L'eau terrestre est différente de celle de Mars" (the water in general)
"Les eaux terrestres sont différentes de celles de Mars" (the variety of waters that can be found on earth)

"L'eau thermale est bonne pour la santé" (thermal water is good for health in general, by its nature)
"Les eaux thermales sont bonnes pour la santé" (all thermal waters, whatever they contain, are good for health)

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Many languages, including French, have words that are spelled differently yet pronounced the same way. Two of the most common of these words in French are eau and au. Eau is a noun meaning "water" in English, and au is the definite article "the." These letters also function as a common vowel combination, producing the same phonetic sound.

Pronunciation Guide

The French vowel combinations in "eau" (singular) and "eaux" ('plural') are pronounced like the closed O sound, similar to the English pronunciation of "eau" in eau de cologne but more elongated. The French letter combinations "au" (singular) and "aux" (plural) are pronounced exactly the same way.

It's important to master this sound because it appears in so many French words. When pronouncing the sound, the lips are pursed to actually form the shape of an "o." This physical component is key to correct French pronunciation. Remember, to speak in French, you have to open your mouth—much more than we do in English. So allez-y. ("Go ahead.")

Click on the links below to hear the words pronounced in French:

eau (water)
beau (handsome, beautiful)
cadeau (gift)
agneau (lamb) Listen closely: The 'g" is not pronounced, so you must say "ah-nyo.")
beaucoup (a lot)
bureau (office, desk)
chapeau (hat)

Expand Your Vocabulary

The vowel combinations eau, eaux, au, and aux in the words below are pronounced exactly the same as in the words above. Click on any of the links above to remind yourself exactly how these letter combinations are pronounced. As you recall, they are all pronounced exactly the same.

gâteau (cake)
bateau (boat)
châteaux (castles)
auto (car)
mauvais (bad)
chaud (hot)
cauchemar (nightmare)
restaurant (restaurant)
chevaux (horses)
journaux (newspapers)

Examples:

Je vais au restaurant. > "I'm going to the restaurant."
Je mets mon beau chapeau sur le bateau qui flotte sur l'eau et qui part au Portugal où il fait chaud. > "I put my beautiful hat on the boat which floats on the water and which is leaving for Portugal where it is hot."

Is water in French l'eau or eau?

Eau is a noun in French that means water in English. In French “l'eau” is a feminine noun: une eau. The plural is: “les eaux”.

Why is water in French called eau?

eau (n.) French for "water," from Old French eue (12c.), from Latin aqua "water, rainwater" (from PIE root *akwa- "water"). Brought into English in combinations such as eau de vie "brandy" (1748), literally "water of life;" eau de toilette (1907). For eau de Cologne see cologne.