bateau mouche

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A long, glass-sided passenger boat that carries tourists for sightseeing trips along the Seine in Paris.

   Grammar: The plural is bateaux mouches, but English speakers often just add a s.

   Patterns

   • take a bateau mouche
   • a bateau mouche cruise

   We took a bateau mouche at sunset and watched Paris glide past.

   A bateau mouche passes under many famous bridges.

   The bateau mouche was crowded, so we sat on the open deck.

2. 2nouncountable

   Any similar tourist boat used for sightseeing on a river or canal, especially in a French-speaking city.

   Grammar: A looser use that describes a boat of that type.

   Patterns

   • a bateau mouche tour

   The city offers a bateau mouche tour along the river each evening.

   They jumped on a bateau mouche to see the old town from the water.

   A bateau mouche is a relaxing way to learn about local history.

Word forms

Common combinations

take a bateau mouche

Visitors often take a bateau mouche on their first evening.

bateau mouche cruise

The bateau mouche cruise lasts about an hour.

bateau mouche tour

A bateau mouche tour shows many monuments in one trip.

ride on a bateau mouche

We took a ride on a bateau mouche along the Seine.

dinner on a bateau mouche

They enjoyed a dinner on a bateau mouche for their anniversary.

Synonyms and how they differ

river cruiser

River cruiser is a general English term for any tourist boat on a river, while bateau mouche points to the Paris type.

tour boat

Tour boat is the plain generic term and can be used on any water.

sightseeing boat

Sightseeing boat describes the purpose, whereas bateau mouche names the specific French style.

pleasure boat

Pleasure boat is wider and also covers private leisure vessels.

Word family

bateau noun

French word for boat

mouche noun

French word for fly; the name comes from an area where the first boats were built

bateaux noun

French plural of bateau

Commonly confused: bateau mouche or bateau?

Practice

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