Vide is the most common way to say “empty” in French. But just like in English, there are several other options. As you learn French, you'll encounter many situations where you might need to describe something that lacks content, is vacant, or even feels unfulfilled. Knowing a variety of terms will make your French sound much more natural and precise! Let’s look at 9 different ways to express “empty” in French!

The standard 'empty' – vide

Vide is the most common and versatile French word for 'empty'.

As an adjective, vide describes a noun that contains nothing. Like most French adjectives, it must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. However, vide is one of those adjectives that doesn't change its spelling for feminine singular, but it does for plural: vide (masculine/feminine singular), vides (masculine/feminine plural).

You'll most frequently use vide to describe physical objects or spaces that are devoid of contents, such as a glass, a room, or a bottle.

Vide can also describe abstract concepts or feelings. For instance, you might feel vide (empty) emotionally, or describe des paroles vides (empty words).

The verb form related to vide is vider, which means 'to empty'. You might vider la poubelle (empty the trash) or vider votre verre (empty your glass).

A useful expression is à vide, which can mean 'on an empty stomach' (e.g., prendre un médicament à jeun/à vide) or describe something running without its usual load, like an engine running à vide (idle/unloaded).

💡 * Le verre est vide. (The glass is empty.)

La salle de classe est vide après l'école. (The classroom is empty after school.)

Elle se sentait vide après la rupture. (She felt empty after the breakup.)

Ne prends pas ce médicament à jeun / à vide. (Don't take this medicine on an empty stomach.)

Il faut vider la bouteille avant de la jeter. (You must empty the bottle before throwing it away.)

The 'unoccupied' or 'vacant' (for a place or seat) – inoccupé(e)

The 'unoccupied' or 'vacant' (for a place or seat) – inoccupé(e)

When you need to describe something as 'unoccupied' or 'vacant' in French, particularly referring to a physical space, object, or position, the adjective to use is inoccupé(e). It is the direct opposite of occupé(e) (occupied).

This word specifically applies to places like a seat, a room, a building, a parking spot, or even a toilet stall that is not currently being used or filled. It indicates availability.

It's crucial to note that inoccupé(e) does not mean 'unemployed' when referring to a person. For a person without a job, you would typically use sans emploi (unemployed) or chômeur/chômeuse (unemployed person).

Like most French adjectives, inoccupé(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. For example, it's inoccupé for masculine singular, inoccupée for feminine singular, inoccupés for masculine plural, and inoccupées for feminine plural.

You'll often hear inoccupé(e) when asking if a table is free in a restaurant, if a bathroom is vacant, or if a specific seat on public transport is available for use.

💡 * Cette place est inoccupée. (This seat is vacant.)

La salle de réunion est inoccupée pour l'instant. (The meeting room is unoccupied for now.)

Y a-t-il une chambre inoccupée à l'hôtel ? (Is there a vacant room at the hotel?)

Toutes les cabines d'essayage étaient inoccupées. (All the changing rooms were vacant.)

Le parking est presque inoccupé ce matin. (The parking lot is almost empty/vacant this morning.)

The 'hollow' or 'empty' (often for a stomach or a space) – creux/creuse

The adjectives creux (masculine) and creuse (feminine) are commonly used in French to describe something that is hollow or empty.

Like many French adjectives, creux must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. You'll use creux for masculine singular nouns and creuse for feminine singular nouns. The plural forms are creux (masculine plural) and creuses (feminine plural).

Its most straightforward use is to describe a physical space that is hollow, empty, or concave. Think of a hole, a cave, or a bowl. For instance, un arbre creux means 'a hollow tree'.

One of the most frequent figurative uses is to describe a hungry stomach. When you say J'ai l'estomac creux, it means 'I have an empty stomach' or 'I'm hungry.' This is a very common idiom.

Creux/creuse can also be used in other figurative contexts. For example, un moment creux refers to a 'lull' or 'slack period,' a time when there's not much activity. Une idée creuse describes a 'shallow' or 'empty' idea, lacking substance.

Whether describing a literal hollow space or a feeling of hunger, creux/creuse is a versatile adjective to add to your French vocabulary. Pay attention to its gender agreement and the context to understand its precise meaning.

💡 * Il y a un grand trou creux dans le jardin. (There's a big hollow hole in the garden.)

J'ai l'estomac creux, je dois manger. (I have an empty stomach, I need to eat.)

Pendant les vacances, c'était un moment creux pour les affaires. (During the holidays, it was a lull for business.)

Elle a des joues creuses après sa maladie. (She has hollow cheeks after her illness.)

The 'vacant' (for a position, property, or seat) – vacant(e)

The French adjective vacant(e) translates directly to 'vacant' in English, describing something that is empty, unoccupied, or available.

As an adjective, vacant(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine singular form is vacant, and the feminine singular is vacante. For plural, you would use vacants (masculine) and vacantes (feminine).

It's frequently used to describe a job or position that is open and available to be filled, similar to 'an open position' or 'a job opening' in English.

Additionally, vacant(e) applies to physical spaces like properties (houses, apartments), seats (in a theater, train), or rooms that are unoccupied or not currently in use.

💡 * Le poste de directeur est vacant depuis un mois. (The director's position has been vacant for a month.)

Nous cherchons un appartement vacant dans le centre-ville. (We are looking for a vacant apartment in the city center.)

Y a-t-il des places vacantes pour le concert de ce soir ? (Are there any vacant seats for tonight's concert?)

La chambre d'hôtel est vacante et prête pour de nouveaux hôtes. (The hotel room is vacant and ready for new guests.)

Toutes les chaises étaient vacantes à la réunion. (All the chairs were vacant at the meeting.)

The 'deserted' or 'empty of people' – désert(e)

Désert(e) is a French adjective used to describe something that is deserted, empty of people, or desolate.

As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: désert (masculine singular), déserte (feminine singular), déserts (masculine plural), and désertes (feminine plural).

Its most common use is to describe a place — like a street, a beach, a room, or even a city — that has few or no people, or is devoid of activity.

While often referring to a literal lack of people, it can also imply a sense of abandonment or loneliness in the atmosphere of a place.

Do not confuse the adjective désert(e) with the masculine noun le désert, which means 'the desert' (the arid landform).

💡 * La rue était complètement déserte. (The street was completely deserted.)

Nous avons trouvé la plage déserte ce matin. (We found the beach empty/deserted this morning.)

Après le départ des invités, la maison semblait déserte. (After the guests left, the house seemed deserted.)

Les couloirs de l'école étaient déserts pendant les vacances. (The school corridors were empty during the holidays.)

The 'used up' or 'depleted' (referring to resources or a container) – épuisé(e)

The French adjective épuisé(e) translates most directly to 'used up,' 'depleted,' or 'exhausted.' Its form changes to épuisée when referring to a feminine noun, and épuisés or épuisées for plural forms, aligning with standard adjective agreement.

This word is frequently employed to describe resources that have run out or containers that are empty. Think of a battery that's completely drained (une batterie épuisée), a stock of supplies that's gone (les stocks sont épuisés), or a well that has dried up. It signifies a complete lack or end of something.

Beyond physical objects, épuisé(e) is also very commonly used to describe a person who is utterly 'exhausted' or 'worn out.' This conveys a stronger sense of fatigue than simply fatigué, implying a complete depletion of energy, often from overwork, stress, or a long illness.

While fatigué means tired, épuisé implies a much deeper level of weariness—a state where one's energy reserves are completely depleted. It's often used when something is at its limit or has nothing left to give, whether it's a person, a resource, or even a concept like patience.

💡 * La batterie de mon téléphone est complètement épuisée. (My phone's battery is completely dead/depleted.)

Les réserves d'eau de la ville sont presque épuisées. (The city's water reserves are almost depleted.)

Après une longue journée de travail, je suis épuisé. (After a long day of work, I am exhausted.)

Elle se sentait épuisée par toutes les responsabilités. (She felt worn out by all the responsibilities.)

Le stock de ce produit est épuisé. (The stock of this product is used up/out of stock.)

The 'dry' or 'out of liquid' (for a container) – à sec

The French expression à sec literally translates to 'to dry' or 'at dry,' but it's used to describe something that is dry or out of liquid, especially when referring to containers, wells, rivers, or any source that should contain fluid.

À sec functions as an adverbial phrase and is invariable, meaning its form doesn't change based on gender or number. It's frequently paired with verbs such as être (to be dry), mettre (to make dry), or laisser (to leave dry or empty).

You'll often hear à sec when talking about things like a puits à sec (dry well), a rivière à sec (dry river), or even a stylo à sec (dry pen). Beyond its literal meaning, it can also be used figuratively to mean 'out of money' or 'penniless,' as in être à sec.

💡 * Le puits est complètement à sec après cet été sans pluie. (The well is completely dry after this rainless summer.)

J'ai laissé la bouteille d'eau à sec. (I left the water bottle dry/empty.)

Mon stylo est à sec, je dois en acheter un nouveau. (My pen is dry, I need to buy a new one.)

Après toutes ces dépenses, je suis à sec. (After all these expenses, I am broke/out of money.)

La rivière est à sec à cause de la sécheresse. (The river is dry because of the drought.)

The 'bare' or 'empty of content/decoration' – nu(e)

The adjective nu(e) translates most directly to 'bare' or 'naked'.

Beyond its literal sense, nu(e) can also describe something 'empty of content or decoration,' implying a lack of embellishment or substance.

As an adjective, nu(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Hence, nu (masculine singular), nue (feminine singular), nus (masculine plural), and nues (feminine plural).

You'll often hear it in phrases like à nu (laid bare, exposed) or pieds nus (barefoot), which are very common in everyday French.

💡 * Le mur était nu, sans aucun tableau. (The wall was bare, without any painting.)

Elle marchait pieds nus dans l'herbe. (She walked barefoot in the grass.)

Son explication était nue de détails. (His explanation was devoid of details.)

La vérité a été mise à nu. (The truth was laid bare.)

The 'without anything' or 'empty of contents' – sans rien

How do you express 'without anything' or 'empty of contents' in French? The key phrase you're looking for is sans rien.

Sans rien directly translates to 'without anything' or 'with nothing'. It's used to express a complete absence, a lack of contents, or the idea of being empty.

This phrase combines the preposition sans (meaning 'without') with the negative pronoun rien (meaning 'anything' or 'nothing'). Together, they form a powerful expression of emptiness or lack.

Beyond its literal meaning, sans rien can also convey the idea of doing something 'empty-handed,' 'without a trace,' or 'for no reason.' It emphasizes a complete lack of accompanying elements or content.

You'll often find sans rien used after verbs to indicate that an action was performed without any accompanying object or result, or to describe a state of being completely devoid of something.

💡 *Il est rentré chez lui sans rien. (He went home without anything.)
*Elle a mangé son pain sans rien. (She ate her bread without anything.)
*Le coffre était vide, sans rien à l'intérieur. (The safe was empty, with nothing inside.)
*Il est parti sans rien dire. (He left without saying anything.)
*Après toutes ces recherches, nous sommes revenus sans rien trouver. (After all that searching, we came back without finding anything.)

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

Are there other ways to say “empty” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “empty” in French. However, like many common adjectives, French offers a rich vocabulary for expressing nuances of emptiness, from literal to figurative, and even some regional or informal terms.

To explore further, you can search online for ‘comment dire vide en ___’ followed by a specific Francophone country or region to see if local expressions exist.

You might discover interesting synonyms for vide. Always check a word’s definition and observe how it's used in context before incorporating it into your vocabulary.

As you immerse yourself in French media — reading, watching, and listening — pay close attention. You might encounter various subtle ways to describe something as empty or lacking.

For a deeper dive into synonyms and related expressions for vide, the WordReference entry for vide is an excellent starting point!

I hope this article has helped you understand the different ways to express 'empty' in French. To conclude, here's a classic French expression that perfectly captures the idea of something needing to be filled: La nature a horreur du vide. (Nature abhors a vacuum.)

9 ways to say "empty" in French