Tennis Scores in French
Zéro, Quinze, Trente, Quarante, Jeu
Updated June 2026
Quick answer: the tennis point progression in French
0 (love)
zéro
15
quinze
30
trente
40
quarante
game
jeu
The server’s score is called first. A tied 15-15 is quinze A (or quinze partout); deuce (40-40) is égalité; the point after deuce is avantage plus the player’s name. A game is un jeu, a set is une manche or un set.
Tennis keeps its own peculiar counting, and in French the point names are the ordinary cardinal numbers quinze, trente, and quarante rather than the English “love / fifteen / thirty / forty” vocabulary. If you watch Roland-Garros, follow the WTA and ATP tours in French, or just want to read a French match report, this page covers every score you will hear called: the point progression, tied scores, deuce and advantage, games, sets, tie-breaks, and how a full match line is written.
The Four Points: Zéro, Quinze, Trente, Quarante
Within a single game the score climbs zéro, quinze, trente, quarante, then jeu (game). The steps are identical to English (0, 15, 30, 40, game); only the words change. A nil score is zéro, or informally rien (nothing) - French does not use the English “love”.
| Points | French | Audio | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (love) | zéro | Also "rien" (nothing) in speech. French never borrows the English "love". | |
| 15 | quinze | First point of the game. | |
| 30 | trente | Second point. | |
| 40 | quarante | Third point. Shortened from an older "quarante-cinq" (45). | |
| game | jeu | The fourth point wins the game, provided the lead is at least two. |
How the Umpire Calls the Score
The chair umpire announces the server’s points first. Tied scores use the spoken letter A - quinze A for 15-15, trente A for 30-30 - a survival of the old expression à deux. Some broadcasts prefer the fuller partout. The one tie that breaks the pattern is 40-40, which is égalité (deuce).
| Score | Called in French | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 15-15 | quinze A | or quinze partout |
| 30-30 | trente A | or trente partout |
| 30-15 | trente quinze | server leading |
| 40-0 | quarante zéro | or quarante rien |
| 40-30 | quarante trente | server one point from the game |
| 40-40 (deuce) | égalité | first tie sometimes called "quarante A" |
| advantage server | avantage + name | e.g. avantage Alcaraz |
Deuce and Advantage: Égalité et Avantage
When both players reach 40, the score is égalité - the French name for deuce. From there a player must win two points in a row to take the game. Win the first and you hold avantage: the umpire calls avantage followed by your name, for instance avantage Djokovic. Win the next point and the game is yours; lose it and the score falls back to égalité.
You will hear a small subtlety at some tournaments: the very first time a game reaches 40-40 the umpire may announce quarante A, switching to égalité for every tie after that. The word égalité itself descends from the same medieval à deux (“at two”, meaning two points still to win) that gave English its deuce.
Games, Sets, and the Tie-Break: Jeu, Manche, Tie-Break
A game is un jeu. A set has two names in French: the traditional une manche and the borrowed un set, now used just as often. A set is won at six games with a lead of at least two, so a set score is read as a games count: six à quatre (6-4), sept à cinq (7-5). When a set reaches six games all, it is decided by a tie-break (the English word, unchanged in French), played to seven points and needing a two-point margin. A tie-break line: sept points à cinq dans le tie-break.
Match length is described by how many sets a player must win: en deux manches gagnantes (best of three, women’s Grand Slams and most tour events) or en trois manches gagnantes (best of five, men’s Grand Slams). To retire is abandonner; a walkover is forfait. The bracket rounds use the standard French fractional names: les huitièmes de finale (round of 16), les quarts de finale (quarter-finals), les demi-finales, and la finale.
Reading a Full Match Score
A finished match is written as a run of set scores, each set as a pair of games. In commentary each pair is voiced with à or as a compact dash:
- Elle s’est imposée en deux manches, six-quatre, six-trois. - She won in two sets, 6-4, 6-3.
- Victoire en trois sets, sept-cinq, quatre-six, six-deux. - A win in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
- Sept à six au tie-break de la première manche. - 7-6 on the first-set tie-break.
The winner’s games are given first in each set. A common way to describe a dominant win is en deux sets secs (in straight sets), and a nil set is six-zéro, familiarly une bulle (a “bagel”, for the shape of the zero).
Why 15, 30, 40? The Jeu de Paume Origin
The odd 15 / 30 / 40 sequence is medieval French and older than lawn tennis itself. It comes from the jeu de paume, the indoor court game played in France from the Middle Ages. The earliest written trace is a 1435 ballad by the poet Charles d’Orléans, which mentions quarante-cinq (45); the third point was later clipped from quarante-cinq to plain quarante (40), which is why the last step is 40 and not 45.
A popular story ties the steps to the quarters of a clock face (15, 30, 45, 60), with the hand moved to 40 to leave room for deuce. It is a neat explanation, but historians treat it as folklore rather than documented fact - the clock theory is not confirmed by any medieval source. What is certain is that French kept the jeu de paume numbers, and modern tennis inherited them worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say tennis scores in French?
The four point values are zéro (0, sometimes "rien"), quinze (15), trente (30), and quarante (40); winning the game is jeu. The server's score is announced first, so 30-15 in the server's favour is "trente quinze". These are ordinary French cardinal numbers, unlike the English love / fifteen / thirty / forty vocabulary.
How is 15-all said in French tennis?
A tied score of 15-15 is announced "quinze A" (the most common form) or "quinze partout". The "A" is spoken and comes from the old expression "à deux". The same pattern gives "trente A" for 30-30. Deuce (40-40) is a special case: it is called "égalité".
What is deuce and advantage in French?
Deuce (40-40) is égalité. The point after deuce gives one player the advantage: the umpire calls "avantage" followed by the player's name, for example "avantage Swiatek". If that player wins the next point they take the game; if they lose it, the score returns to égalité. The very first 40-40 of a game is sometimes announced "quarante A", with "égalité" used for every tie after that.
What is a game and a set called in French?
A game is un jeu. A set is une manche (the traditional French term) or un set (the loanword, now equally common). A set is won at six games with a two-game lead, for example six à quatre (6-4). At six games all, a tie-break decides the set: the word tie-break is used as-is in French, played to seven points with a two-point margin.
How many sets is a tennis match in French?
Best of three sets is "en deux sets gagnants" (two winning sets needed): women's Grand Slams and most tour events. Best of five is "en trois sets gagnants" (three winning sets): men's Grand Slams. A finished match reads as a run of set scores, for example "en trois manches, six-quatre, trois-six, sept-cinq".
Why does French tennis count 15, 30, 40?
The 15 / 30 / 40 progression is medieval French and predates modern tennis, coming from the jeu de paume (real tennis). The earliest written trace is a 1435 ballad by Charles d'Orléans mentioning "quarante-cinq" (45), later clipped to quarante (40). One long-standing theory links the steps to the quarters of a clock face (15, 30, 45), but the clock explanation is debated and not confirmed.