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How to Write an Essay in French

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When it comes to expressing your thoughts in French , there’s nothing better than the essay.

It is, after all, the favorite form of such famed French thinkers as Montaigne, Chateaubriand, Houellebecq and Simone de Beauvoir.

In this post, I’ve outlined the four most common types of essays in French, ranked from easiest to most difficult, to help you get to know this concept better. 

Why Are French Essays Different?

Must-have french phrases for writing essays, 4 types of french essays and how to write them, 1. text summary (synthèse de texte).

• 2. Text Commentary (Commentaire de texte)

3. Dialectic Dissertation (Thèse, Antithèse, Synthèse)

• 4. Progressive Dissertation (Plan progressif)

And one more thing...

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Writing an essay in French is not the same as those typical 5-paragraph essays you’ve probably written in English.

In fact, there’s a whole other logic that has to be used to ensure that your essay meets French format standards and structure. It’s not merely writing your ideas in another language .

And that’s because the French use Cartesian logic (also known as Cartesian doubt) , developed by René Descartes , which requires a writer to begin with what is known and then lead the reader through to the logical conclusion: a paragraph that contains the thesis. Through the essay, the writer will reject all that is not certain or all that is subjective in his or her quest to find the objective truth.

Sound intriguing? Read on for more!

Before we get to the four main types of essays, here are a few French phrases that will be especially helpful as you delve into essay-writing in French:

Introductory phrases , which help you present new ideas.

Connecting phrases , which help you connect ideas and sections.

Contrasting phrases , which help you juxtapose two ideas.

Concluding phrases , which help you to introduce your conclusion.

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The text summary or synthèse de texte  is one of the easiest French writing exercises to get a handle on. It essentially involves reading a text and then summarizing it in an established number of words, while repeating no phrases that are in the original text. No analysis is called for.

A  synthèse de texte  should follow the same format as the text that is being synthesized. The arguments should be presented in the same way, and no major element of the original text should be left out of the  synthèse.

Here is an informative post about writing a synthèse de texte , written for French speakers. 

The text summary is a great exercise for exploring the following French language elements:

• Synonyms , as you will need to find other words to describe what is said in the original text.
• Nominalization , which involves turning verbs into nouns and generally cuts down on word count.
• Vocabulary , as the knowledge of more exact terms will allow you to avoid periphrases and cut down on word count.

While beginners may wish to work with only one text, advanced learners can synthesize as many as three texts in one text summary. 

Since a text summary is simple in its essence, it’s a great writing exercise that can accompany you through your entire learning process.

2. Text Commentary  (Commentaire de texte)

A text commentary or commentaire de texte   is the first writing exercise where the student is asked to present an analysis of the materials at hand, not just a summary.

That said, a  commentaire  de texte  is not a reaction piece. It involves a very delicate balance of summary and opinion, the latter of which must be presented as impersonally as possible. This can be done either by using the third person (on) or the general first person plural (nous) . The singular first person (je) should never be used in a  commentaire de texte.

A commentaire de texte  should be written in three parts:

• An introduction , where the text is presented.
• An argument , where the text is analyzed.
• A conclusion , where the analysis is summarized and elevated.

Here is a handy in-depth guide to writing a successful commentaire de texte,  written for French speakers.

Unlike with the synthesis, you will not be able to address all elements of a text in a commentary. You should not summarize the text in a commentary, at least not for the sake of summarizing. Every element of the text that you speak about in your commentary must be analyzed.

To successfully analyze a text, you will need to brush up on your figurative language. Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Here’s an introduction to figurative language in French.
• This guide to figurative language  presents the different elements in useful categories.
• This guide , intended for high school students preparing for the BAC—the exam all French high school students take, which they’re required to pass to go to university—is great for seeing examples of how to integrate figurative language into your commentaries.
• Speaking of which, here’s an example of a corrected commentary from the BAC, which will help you not only include figurative language but get a head start on writing your own commentaries.

The French answer to the 5-paragraph essay is known as the  dissertation .  Like the American 5-paragraph essay, it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. The stream of logic, however, is distinct.

There are actually two kinds of  dissertation,  each of which has its own rules.

The first form of  dissertation  is the dialectic dissertation , better known as  thèse, antithèse, synthèse . In this form, there are actually only two body paragraphs. After the introduction, a thesis is posited. Following the thesis, its opposite, the antithesis, is explored (and hopefully, debunked). The final paragraph, what we know as the conclusion, is the  synthesis , which addresses the strengths of the thesis, the strengths and weaknesses of the antithesis, and concludes with the reasons why the original thesis is correct.

For example, imagine that the question was, “Are computers useful to the development of the human brain?” You could begin with a section showing the ways in which computers are useful for the progression of our common intelligence—doing long calculations, creating in-depth models, etc.

Then you would delve into the problems that computers pose to human intelligence, citing examples of the ways in which spelling proficiency has decreased since the invention of spell check, for example. Finally, you would synthesize this information and conclude that the “pro” outweighs the “con.”

The key to success with this format is developing an outline before writing. The thesis must be established, with examples, and the antithesis must be supported as well. When all of the information has been organized in the outline, the writing can begin, supported by the tools you have learned from your mastery of the synthesis and commentary.

Here are a few tools to help you get writing:

• Here’s a great guide to writing a dialectic dissertation .
• Here’s an example of a plan for a dialectic dissertation , showing you the three parts of the essay as well as things to consider when writing a dialectic dissertation.

4. Progressive Dissertation ( Plan progressif)

The progressive dissertation is slightly less common, but no less useful, than the first form.

The progressive form basically consists of examining an idea via multiple points of view—a sort of deepening of the understanding of the notion, starting with a superficial perspective and ending with a deep and profound analysis.

If the dialectic dissertation is like a scale, weighing pros and cons of an idea, the progressive dissertation is like peeling an onion, uncovering more and more layers as you get to the deeper crux of the idea.

Concretely, this means that you will generally follow this layout:

• A first, elementary exploration of the idea.
• A second, more philosophical exploration of the idea.
• A third, more transcendent exploration of the idea.

This format for the dissertation is more commonly used for essays that are written in response to a philosophical question, for example, “What is a person?” or “What is justice?”

Let’s say the question was, “What is war?” In the first part, you would explore dictionary definitions—a basic idea of war, i.e. an armed conflict between two parties, usually nations. You could give examples that back up this definition, and you could narrow down the definition of the subject as much as needed. For example, you might want to make mention that not all conflicts are wars, or you might want to explore whether the “War on Terror” is a war.

In the second part, you would explore a more philosophical look at the topic, using a definition that you provide. You first explain how you plan to analyze the subject, and then you do so. In French, this is known as  poser une problématique  (establishing a thesis question), and it usually is done by first writing out a question and then exploring it using examples: “Is war a reflection of the base predilection of humans for violence?”

In the third part, you will take a step back and explore this question from a distance, taking the time to construct a natural conclusion and answer for the question.

This form may not be as useful in as many cases as the first type of essay, but it’s a good form to learn, particularly for those interested in philosophy. Here’s an in-depth guide  to writing a progressive dissertation.

As you progress in French and become more and more comfortable with writing, try your hand at each of these types of writing exercises, and even with other forms of the dissertation . You’ll soon be a pro at everything from a synthèse de texte to a dissertation!

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How to Describe Yourself in French

Last Updated: September 9, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Language Academia . Language Academia is a private, online language school founded by Kordilia Foxstone. Kordilia and her team specialize in teaching foreign languages and accent reduction. Language Academia offers courses in several languages, including English, Spanish, and Mandarin. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 444,181 times.

Describing yourself is an important skill personally and professionally. You may wish to meet or date someone, get to know a friend better, or present yourself in a professional context. The rules for describing yourself in French are similar to how you would do it in English, but there are a few distinctions to be aware of. Using these guidelines you will have a basic structure that you can expand on to provide a more personalized description of yourself.

Describing your Personality

• The French word for first name is “prenom” (prey–nom). You could say “Mon prénom est...” (mon prey-nom ey) which means “my first name is...”
• The French word for surname is “nom de famille” (nohm dhe fah-mee). In a professional or commercial transaction if someone asks for your "nom" be sure to provide your last name rather than your first.

• Consult a dictionary to find pronunciations of specific numbers.
• You can also describe your age group more generally using the phrase “je suis” (zhe swee) followed by an adjective. “Jeune” (zhuhn) means young. “Vieux” (vee-euh) indicates an elderly man, while “vieille” (vee-ay) indicates an elderly woman. “Je suis jeune” means “I am young.”

• You can also say “my hair is...” followed by a color. The phrase for this is “Mes cheveux sont...” (meh chuh-vuh son). Consult a dictionary for the appropriate color.
• The same construction works to describe your eye color. You would say “Mes yeux sont ...” (mehz-yuh son) which means "my eyes are..." Note that in this case you pronounce the s at the end of “mes” because the next word begins with a vowel.

• “Fort” (for) means strong, while “faible” (febl) means weak.
• “Petit” (petee) for men or “petite” (peteet) for women means small or short.
• “Grand” (grahn) for men or “grande” (grahnd) for women means large or tall.

• Content (cohn-tahn) means happy, while triste (treest) means sad. You would say "je suis triste" to convey "I am sad."
• Fatigué (fah-tee-gay) means tired. You would say “je suis fatigué” to convey "I am tired."

Describing Your Activities

• Male occupations that end with “eur” (euhr) often change to “euse” (euhz) for women. For example, a massage therapist would be either a masseur or a masseuse.
• Male occupations that end in “ier” (ee-ay) often add an extra e to become ière (ee-ehr) for women. A farmer would be either a fermier or a fermière.
• Male occupations that end in a consonant may add an extra e to become feminine. For example, a male student is an “étudiant” (ay-tood-eeon) while a female student is an "étudiante" (ay-tood-eeont). Note that the final consonant is pronounced only in the female form.
• Many occupations have only one form, regardless of gender, such as "professeur" which means teacher.

• “I like” is “j’aime” (zhehm). "I love" is “j’adore” (zha-dor). “J’aime lire” (zhehm leer) means “I like to read.”
• The words “ne” and “pas” on either side of the verb negate the phrase, indicating dislike. "I do not like" is “je n’aime pas” (zhe nem pah). “Je n’aime pas chanter” (zhe nem pas chan-tay) means “I do not like to sing.”

• Mon (mohn) or ma (mah) are used as possessives, when you wish to indicate that you like something that belongs to you. Mes (meh) indicates a possessive plural. [5] X Research source
• Mon is used when the noun is masculine, indicated in the dictionary by the letter m. “J’aime mon chat” means "I like my cat." Note that it does not matter if you are male, it matters that cat (chat) is a masculine noun.
• Ma is used when the noun is feminine, indicated in the dictionary by the letter f. “J’aime ma tante” means "I like my aunt." Again, it matters that aunt is a feminine noun, not that you are a man or a woman.
• Mes indicates a possessive plural noun, such as “my aunts” or “my cats.” You would say “j’aime mes tantes” or “j’aime mes chats.” [6] X Research source

• If this is too challenging it may be easier to use the above recommendations for sharing hobbies, simply saying “I like sports” or “j’aime les sports.”
• This construction also works to describe personality traits. For example gentil/gentille (zhantee/zhanteel) means nice. You would say “je suis gentil” if you are a man or "je suis gentille" for a woman.

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• ↑ https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/french.php
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjx947h/articles/z7ftwty
• ↑ https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/frenchcopy/chapter/2-4-the-verb-etre/
• ↑ http://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/gender/
• ↑ http://www.thefrenchexperiment.com/learn-french/possessive-adjectives.php
• ↑ https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/possessive-adjectives/
• ↑ http://www.languageguide.org/french/grammar/adjectives/

About This Article

To describe yourself in French, start by learning some of the basic French phrases for introducing yourself, like “Je m’appelle” and “Je suis” to tell people your name and something about yourself. For example, “Je suis blonde” tells people that you’re a blonde, while “Je suis fatigué” means “I’m tired!” To talk about your interests, use the word “J’aime” to say that you love or like something! Scroll down to learn how to use the appropriate adjectives for your gender! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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French Friendship Quotes from Poems and Proverbs

French idioms about friendship, types of friends, degrees of friendship, friends on social media, friendly expressions, french poems about friendship, french proverbs and sayings about friendship, quotes from french movies and literature about friendship, start speaking french fluently, fast., recommended articles, unique québécois french words and expressions | lingvist, discover french dialects throughout the world, 8 of the best films to improve your french, get more from lingvist.

Published on October 6th, 2023 | by Adrian Lomezzo

How to Write an Essay in French Without Giving Yourself Away as a Foreigner

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-quote-on-a-paper-5425603/

Bienvenue! Do you dream of unleashing your inner French literary genius, but worry that your writing might inadvertently reveal your foreign roots? Fret not, mes amis, as we have the ultimate guide to help you master the art of essay writing en Français!

Within these pages, we’ll navigate the intricate waters of linguistic nuances, cultural subtleties, and grammatical finesse, allowing you to exude the aura of a native French speaker effortlessly. Many students like you have embarked on this journey, seeking academic assistance from platforms like  https://paperwritten.com/  to conquer their writing pursuits.

From crafting a compelling introduction to fashioning impeccable conclusions, we’ll unveil the secrets that will leave your professors applauding your newfound linguistic prowess. So, bid adieu to those awkward linguistic giveaways and embrace the sheer elegance of French expression – all while keeping your foreign identity beautifully concealed! Let’s embark on this adventure together and unlock the true essence of writing like a native French virtuoso.

1.   Mastering French Grammar and Vocabulary: Building a Strong Foundation

To create a compelling French essay, it’s essential to lay a solid groundwork. Ensure that your French grammar is accurate and that you possess a rich vocabulary. Avoid relying on online translators, as they may yield awkward or incorrect sentences. Instead, embrace reputable dictionaries and language resources to enhance your language skills effectively.

2.   Mimic Sentence Structures: The Art of Authentic Expression

To truly immerse yourself in the French language, observe and mimic the sentence structures used by native speakers. Analyzing essays written by experienced writers can prove invaluable in grasping the authentic style required to compose a captivating essay.

3.   Use Transition Words: Crafting a Smooth Flow of Ideas

In French essays, the use of transition words and phrases plays a pivotal role in connecting ideas seamlessly. Incorporate expressions like “de plus,” “en outre,” “en conclusion,” “tout d’abord,” and “par conséquent” to add coherence and elegance to your writing.

4.   Embrace French Idioms and Expressions: Unveiling Cultural Fluency

Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the French language and culture by incorporating idioms and expressions where appropriate. However, remember to use them sparingly to avoid overwhelming your essay.

5.   Pay Attention to Formality: Striking the Right Tone

Tailor the formality of your writing to suit the context of your essay. Whether you are crafting an academic piece or a more personal creation, be mindful of your choice of vocabulary and sentence structures to match the required tone.

6.   Research Cultural References: The Power of In-depth Knowledge

If your essay touches upon French culture, history, or literature, extensive research is key. Delve into your subjects to avoid mistakes and showcase your genuine interest in the matter at hand.

7.   Avoid Direct Translations: Let French Be French

To avoid awkward phrasing, strive to think in French rather than translating directly from your native language. This will lead to a more natural and eloquent essay.

8.   Practice Writing Regularly: The Path to Proficiency

Mastering the art of French writing requires regular practice. Embrace writing in French frequently to grow more comfortable with the language and refine your unique writing style.

9.   Read French Literature: A Gateway to Inspiration

Explore the world of French literature to expose yourself to diverse writing styles. This practice will deepen your understanding of the language and immerse you further in French culture and history.

10.   Connect with French Culture: Bridges of Cultural Resonance

Incorporate cultural references that resonate with French readers, such as art, cuisine, festivals, historical figures, or social customs. Authenticity is key, so avoid relying on stereotypes.

11.   Use a French Thesaurus: Expanding Your Linguistic Palette

Discovering new contextually appropriate words can elevate your writing. Embrace a French thesaurus to find synonyms that may not be apparent through direct translations.

12.   Master French Punctuation: The Finishing Touch

Take care to use correct French punctuation marks, such as guillemets (« ») for quotes and proper accent marks. These subtle details add a professional touch to your essay.

13.   Practice French Rhetorical Devices: Crafting Eloquent Prose

Experiment with rhetorical devices like parallelism, repetition, and antithesis to lend depth and sophistication to your writing.

14.   Pay Attention to Word Order: Unlocking French Sentence Structure

French boasts a unique sentence structure distinct from English. Dive into the intricacies of subject-verb-object order and grasp the art of organizing sentences to sidestep common foreign mistakes. Embracing this essential aspect will elevate your writing to a truly native level.

15.   Use French Idiomatic Expressions: Infuse Cultural Flair

Enrich your prose with the colorful tapestry of French idioms, reflecting the vibrant essence of the culture. Yet, a word of caution – wield them with finesse, for the strategic placement of an idiom can imbue your essay with unparalleled flair and authenticity.

16.   Master Pronouns and Agreement: The Dance of Language

The dance of pronouns, nouns, and adjectives requires your keen attention. Like a skilled performer, ensure their seamless alignment to avoid inadvertently revealing your non-native status. Mastering this harmony is key to writing like a true Francophone.

17.   Understand Subtle Connotations: Unveiling Linguistic Shades

Delve into the labyrinth of French words, where subtle connotations diverge from their English counterparts. Familiarize yourself with these delicate nuances, for it is in their mastery that your writing shall find refinement.

18.   Study Formal and Informal Registers: Tailoring Language to Purpose

Akin to selecting the perfect outfit for each occasion, comprehend the art of using formal and informal language. Consider your essay’s purpose and audience, and with this knowledge, enhance your authenticity, seamlessly aligning with the appropriate linguistic register.

19.   Practice Dialogue Writing: Conversing with Eloquence

Embark on the journey of dialogue writing to enrich your linguistic repertoire. As you hone your conversational skills, watch as authenticity gracefully weaves itself into your written work, enchanting readers with its charm.

20.   Seek Feedback: A Second Set of Eyes

To refine your essay further, seek the guidance of a native French speaker or language tutor from the  best cheap essay writing services . Their valuable feedback can uncover any language or cultural mistakes you may have made, allowing you to make necessary improvements.

Equip yourself with these priceless tips and set forth on your quest to master the art of French writing. Embrace the language’s allure, immerse in its rich culture, and watch your words flow with grace and poise. À la plume! Let the pen become your ally in crafting captivating prose that echoes with authenticity and charm. 

Header Photo Credit by George Milton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-woman-in-eyeglasses-with-books-7034478/

About the Author

Adrian Lomezzo is a content writer and likes to write about technology and education. He understands the concern of parents due to the evolving technology and researches deeply in that area. When he is not researching, he buries himself in books along with his favorite cup of hot chocolate.

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Never Say “Mon Ami” in French (And What to Say Instead)

• June 2, 2020

Today, I want to talk to you about one of the most common clichés in French — “ mon ami ” — and why you should never use it in French conversations.

People in France never use “ mon ami ” the way you might use “my friend” in English. It’s another common mistake that I hear all the time, like using “ bien fait ” or saying bonjour twice.

“But Géraldine,” you might say, “ I do hear it a lot in movies! Even with Lumière in Beauty and the Beast! Are you saying Disney lied to me?”

Yes, I am! If you use “ mon ami ” (on its own) in France, you’ll sound like a tourist who only knows French clichés. Let’s fix that.

Today, we’ll look into why you shouldn’t say “ mon ami ” so much, and what to say instead.

Bonjour I’m Géraldine, your French teacher. Welcome to Comme une Française. Today, like every Tuesday, I’ll help you get better at speaking and understanding everyday French.

C’est parti !

Want all the vocabulary of the lesson ?

Want to read this lesson later , 1) “mon ami” is just a cliché.

Mon ami (or mon amie in the feminine) means “my friend.”

If there’s a French character in an American movie, they basically have to say it at some point. Like in this scene of Beauty and the Beast.

It’s kind of like saying Bonjour with a really heavy accent. Sure, it shows that the character is French, but it’s not something you’d actually hear in France.

Using “ Mon ami ” alone as “ Hello my friend” will make you sound like you only know French clichés – and you deserve better!

It’s basically the oral version of Marcel Gotlib’s SuperDupont : a funny stereotypical representation that doesn’t exist.

By the way, in the French (dubbed) version, Lumière is… Italian! At least that’s what his accent implies , with his rolled R’s – for example in “ Y’a l’pour et y’a l’contre ” (= “There are pros and cons,” casual spoken French) Can you hear it?

Other works used the same “trick” of turning a French character (in the original version) into an Italian one (in the French dubbed version), like Pepe le Pew / Pépé le Putois.

2) “Mon ami” in French: what it really means

Mon ami(e) is used for very close friends.

You can use it in a sentence. To introduce your friend, for example: Je te présente mon amie Marie. = “I introduce you to my friend Marie” / “Here’s my friend Marie.”

But using it on its own, such as Bonjour, mon ami, comment ça va ? to mean “Hello my friend” , is a cliché.

When I was working in Leeds, England on July 14th, kind people would wish me a “Happy Bastille day” in French. That’s very nice! But “Le jour de la Bastille” does NOT exist in French – it’s just “ Le 14 Juillet ” . Another misconception!

You can find more in my lesson: Le 14 Juillet

3) “Mon ami” : What you can say instead

Instead of “ mon ami ”, you can simply use your friend’s name. For instance: Je suis là, mon ami ! → Je suis là, Marc ! = I’m here, my very close friend! → I’m here, Marc!

Or you can also just say… nothing!

Bonjour, mon ami. → Bonjour. = Hello, my friend. → Hello.

The scary thing is, this is a common mistake you might be making without even realizing it. And it’s not the only one!

You’ll find more examples of common French mistakes in this short playlist , like using “ Bien fait ” for “ well done ” (when it actually means “ Serves you right ”), or saying “ bonjour ” twice in the same day to the same person!

À tout de suite. I’ll see you in the next video!

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Allez, salut 🙂

Join the conversation!

The name’s Gambit, mon ami! Remember it!

Mon amie, je ne suis pas d’accord 🙂

I don’t agree with this opinion about using « mon ami ». This article, as well as the author’s responses in the comments, is not researched; it is a personal opinion.

First of all, there is no language rule against using clichés, or against using an expression with a twist of irony or humor (see this comment’s first line).

Second, the use of « mon ami » will not sound cliché depending on what country you are in and on the immediate context. French is widely and correctly spoken in many places outside France, although many French-speakers have trouble accepting that reality.

I am a native mother tongue French speaker from Quebec, and I hear French used in ways that sound funny even just inside Quebec, including what seems like grammar mistakes from immigrants from France. As long as you get the gender and number of « mon ami » right in your sentence, the rest is all about context.

In France it’s even worse than what the author describes here .

Someone saying “mon ami” should even be seen as a highly hypocritical person .

Saying “my friend” in France is almost equivalent to put an advertisement on oneself where it would be written ” hey , liar and hypocritical person just here , beware ”

Maybe in Quebec or elswhere in french speaking countries it’s okay , but absolutely DON’T USE IT in France .

It shouldn’t be seen as a cliche that “the french do”, but rather it’s simply what we americans will say in english to dear friends that we love. If i say it in my own language (and it’s not a cliche here), why should i all of a sudden change who i am because im speaking a new language? That’s silly. It’s a term of endearment where im from so that doesn’t make sense for me not to use it. Sometimes it feels like some french people look for reasons to judge americans, because it’s really not that serious.

I do not speak French, but I am fluent in 2 languages and lived in different countries. There are things you need to understand/know about the culture you want to immerse yourself in, to engage and conduct yourself properly. there are non-translatable situations/phrases and things, in the case of Spanish to English and vice versa, (and every other country, I am sure) that just are not said/experienced in the same manner, because it’s perceived as weird or simply it does not exist in that particular context. it does not mean that one culture is better than the other, it just means that they are different. And as different we must learn (in my opinion) the do’s and don’t of the culture or language that we wish to communicate/immerse ourselves in. Learning things properly not only expands your knowledge of the language but also of the people and the culture. I think it makes us better humans. We do not have to agree with everything, but my opinion is that we can try to understand and respect it, regardless of our language or culture. It seems that French like many Latin cultures is more structured in its language and “American” culture is more relaxed. I don’t think it’s a judgment issue. It’s just different.

THANK YOU FOR THIS (these) useful, informative videos. I’ve found your “insider”/native guidance quite helpful. You packed a lot into such a short video. BUT,,, what about using “MES AMIS”? When, for example, you arrive for a dinner with friends, all of whom arrived before you, to address the table? Merci

Mes amis can sound formal, as in saying ‘Friends…’ except if they are people you know well, in which case it will sound cute/warm depending on how you say it and what follows.

If you’re calling out to a group in an informal way, you might say ‘Les amis’, which sounds something like ‘You guys’

Very interesting,thank you

How about Poirot in Agatha Christie’s films? does he says “mon ami” because he is Belgian and not French? LOL

How about n’est pas, which I hear and read a lot from non-French speakers? Isn’t it n’est ce pas and therefore pronounced somewhat differently? (I am not French and I am not a wannabe. I can barely speak English. I’m an American.)

“n’est-ce pas” is like “isn’t it”, used as part of a question. “n’est pas” is the modifier “not”.

Like the details for the (e.i.n’est pas—–n’est -ce pas )very close ,similar, modifiers;!expression differs slightly .

Merci our vos cours… Often in films I hear a girl or young woman addressed <>, why not <>?

Bonjour Geraldine et Arthur, In Quebec my teen and 20-something children use “ma blonde” or “mon chum” to refer to a girlfriend or boyfriend informally, in the casually dating sense. I think it’s adorable as it can be tricky to introduce or talk about someone that’s more than a friend, but not long term relationship that everyone knows. What would be a similar ‘label’ for a person you’re dating in France, I’m not “copain” would always work. Maybe these Canadian French words are more specific to the generation as well…

Bonjour Mélanie, In France, you would use “copain” or “copine” or “petit copain” or “petite copine” and there is no direct equivalent to “ma blonde” or “mon chum” unless one wishes to use “mon amoureux” or “mon amoureuse”. You can also use “mon Jules” or “ma Julie” which may get closer to the “blonde” and “chum” in Québec. Fabien Comme Une Française Team

Are you in México?

No, I am at your house…

Is there some form of saying “mon ami/e” to refer to your boyfriend/girlfriend? Or is that “mon petit”?

Bonjour Sara,

You can use “mon copain” or “ma copine” in reference to a boyfriend or a girlfriend, even though it has the meaning of a pal/buddy as well.

Belle journée,

Fabien Comme Une Française Team

Hi Fabien, What about “mon compagnon/ma compagne” in reference to a boyfriend and girlfriend? Or are those nouns used only by “older” people? ☺️ Merci bien!

Bonjour Kiki, Oui, “un compagnon” est celui ou celle qui partage la vie de quelqu’un comme époux/épouse ou comme concubin. Merci et belle journée, Fabien Comme Une Française Team

Mon amie la Rose – d’aprés Françoise Hardy, caused me some difficulty, but Géraldine sorted it:

This is so informative. I got used to Cajun French but never learned the ral French.

Instead of using bonjour more than once, try doing and saying as mon chien “BOOZER”…..He says…”BONE APPETIT ” all of the time. many times a day !! Just stumbled onto your site, Geraldine, and it’s terrific, as are all the comments and questions. Kudos !

This just makes me really sad, like I’m a fool for even trying to speak french. Why even try if you’re going to be this judgmental for trying to call someone “my friend”? 🙁

Dear Alexander,

On Comme une Française, I guide students in the language to make them avoid the common mistakes of the language and the culture. It’s not a matter of being judgmental.

Love your tips, always! There’s clearly no judgement happening there and the information is very useful for those truly making an effort to speak with proper pronunciation as well as for those wanting to speak as locals do. If that’s not important I think it’s always been made clear on this site that your efforts are always appreciated by French speakers and it’s up to you how deeply you want to dive. 🙂

Don’t give up, my friend! I teach English as a second language, and I have made my way in Survival Spanish and Fractured French in various countries. Just enjoy the people you are with and take a light-hearted view of mistakes. If you are kind and well-meaning, people will look at that much more than your actual words.

I noticed your examples are all cases of one individual speaking to another individual, but does it still applies in more general statements? Like if a public speaker says it to a group to imply a more general intimacy, or maybe in fiction literature where a character is talking more directly to the reader. For example, I think I’ve heard the phrase ‘Au contraire, mes amis’ used a couple of times, but that was in English language fiction, so I’m wondering if that would still come off as cliche if it was part of a full French sentence to a speaker.

Bonjour Danielle, You can use it, knowing that it’s a cliché. What matters here is knowing that it is one. Then you can make what you want of it. Because it adds a certain effect to your sentence.

Like “Hello Old Chap” in English.

Why isn’t it ‘ma amie’ for female friends? Or is it the fact that you’d have two vowels right next to each other?

Bonjour Alex,

Thanks for your question. Mon, ton or son are used before a feminine word starting with a vowel or silent -h. This is to help with pronunciation. Thus, you will have mon amie (even though it is a feminine noun).

I hope this helps.

Bonne journée,

So helpful!

Dear Friends at Comme une Française, I enjoy your blog and find it helpful. Having lived in Paris for three years as a professor, I do cringe when one makes blanket statements like “no one in France says _________________ (fill in the blank.) In my experience, French is fluid, at least in Paris, and French people speak with a variety of vocabulary, word choices, et cetera. Yes, there are some absolutes. However, it is a danger to make blanket linguistic statements. These types of statements might be taken as arrogant and elitist. When I moved to France in 2018, I was informed that “No one says , enchanté”, only to be greeting countless times with, enchanté. Thank you!

So, what could you say when seeing a french friend after many, five, years besides just saying their name? We had a French foreign exchange student, a young woman, live with us years back. She has visited us many times since, our daughter stayed with her family in Paris several times, we have had dinner at her parents house in Paris … anyhow, she is like another daughter to me. We are all meeting up in Dublin soon (hopefully covid continues to settle down) and I wanted to joyfully express my affection for her in french when we first see her …

Bonjour Alan, Saying her name and being cheerful is great! It will convey what you want to share with her. You can also say “je suis tellement content de te revoir” or “tu nous as tellement manqué !”

How would you pronounce the French last name of my family Bolduc in French language???

Bolduc = /boldyk/ – u pronounced like in salut

i’m a American trying to learn french is realy nice

I love everything about this! My family is francophone northern Ontario/Quebec border. I’ve been speaking Acadian English? French? Back and forth? My whole life? So much slang, so many interpretations. Geraldine, thank you for clarifying.

Hello! I just found this article and I love the comment section! I have a question, this man I have been speaking with (dating?) for months now has referred to me as his girlfriend in many occasions. But then he wrote “ma très chère amie” to me that got me confused. Does that mean just a friend? Thank you for your help!

Thanks for your question, Mia. This would translate as “My very dear friend”.

What should you say instead of saying bonjour twice to the same person on the same day?

You could use “rebonjour” in certain situations.

Another drawn out way for the French to incessantly criticize Americans- even if they are trying to speak the language and say something pleasant.

Can I use Bon appetite mon amis ??

Bonjour Viktoria,

Oui, or simply, “bon appétit”.

Bonnes fêtes,

Mes amies in France say mon ami or mon Cher ami quite often, oddly enough more to be polite to acquaintances than dear friends

is there a French word for ‘heck’, the American expression?

Zut could work. It’s like drat or heck. https://www.wordreference.com/fren/zut

Yes, you can say “mince, zut” or even “sacré”. A lot of options based on the context.

In British English we are continually using terms of endearment with strangers – most commonly “mate” (also pal, love, pet, duck, hinny, fella, chum, mucker and many more, with some being gendered terms). Basically just for anyone whose name we don’t know.

Is there a French equivalent?

Bonjour Bob,

Oui, tout à fait ! We also have terms of endearment in French, I included a few of them at the end of this message.

Bien à toi,

Mon amour: my love Mon chou: My cabbage, but chou can also be short for a French cream puff called chou chantilly or chou à la crème. Chouchou: Derived from chou Mon ange: My angel Mon bébé: My baby Doudou: What kids call their favorite toy or blankie Mon coeur: My heart Mon trésor: My treasure Ma chérie (F), mon chéri (M): My darling Ma puce: My flea

Thanks Fabien, but I was referring to terms you might use with a stranger or someone with whom you were not close.

Typically, you will not use those terms of endearment with someone with whom you are not close. You may use the name or the title instead (Monsieur, Madame, etc.)

Flea..??????are you serious 😅😅😅😅 nobody likes fleas in England….sounds insulting. Might as well say my cockroach….lol

I agree. The Great Plague of London, the epidemic that ravaged London, England, from 1665 to 1666 has city records to indicate that some 68,596 people died during the epidemic, though the actual number of deaths is suspected to have exceeded 100,000 out of a total population estimated at 460,000. The plague was caused from fleas living on rodents. The fleas would bite humans and spread the disease, so no wonder no one in England would want to use the word flea as a term of endearment. I never heard about this great pandemic until I studied world history as a freshman in college. It had to be horrifying for all of London and the undertakers couldn’t even keep up with burials.

I have a dear friend who is fluent in French. She studied at Sorbonne in Paris. Speaking with her will help me learn faster. I love French and the country and people! Can I say to her Tres Chere Amie? Merci!

You can certainly use this expression with your friend, however particularly so in writing.

What does Ma douce amie mean? is it romantic or sweet. a man said it to me after bouts of flirting and giving mixed signals.

Bonjour Rose,

Indeed, even though “ma douce amie” means “my sweet/precious friend”, it can have a bit of a romantic connotation.

That being said, this is very common in Cajun French culture and used very often. That also being said Cajun French is completely foreign to French spoken in France as it’s a broken dialect of Canadian French.

Really like your Website. I have met a frensh man that I really like so now I am trying to pick up some frensh words. Did I understood you right, that I can use “mon ami” if it is a close/special friend like the man I met ;-)? We are not at the point yet were I would call him “mon cheri” 🙂

Yes, oui, tout à fait, it is possible to use “mon ami” for a close friend.

This is literally the first and only page I’ve read from your lesson thus far. So when I engage in some more, it is then I will comment on something. Merci beaucoup

I do like this but am from Oklahoma and. Am afraid no one could understand my french. I ha e a very slow and southern drawl.some people in us can’t understand my english.

I’m trying to learn French and I came across this when trying to figure out what “ami” means and I love this website already!

Thanks Venus!

Keep browsing around on the website, lessons and courses, and have a wonderful day 🙂

– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française

You may present your friend as in “voici mon ami Pierre,but you dont say “bonjour mon ami to a close friend ,perriod!

Love the way you explain it – am sold on the concept already!

Merci, mon ami!

I think the use of “my friend” in English is also a bit odd. It’s can be used in introducing someone and not sound weird (“Hi, John, this is my friend, Sharon”) or it can sound strangely old-fashioned or even anachronistic (“Hello, my friend”). Most people don’t use “my friend” in a standard greeting. I had a professional acquaintance who said it often to me in phone conversations but I would never say it to an actual close friend. So I can see the subtleties in using “mon ami” in French.

Now that I think of it, I’ve heard it said by people, in English, but they are usually foreign and I’m wondering if it’s commonly used in Spanish. Mi amigo for example.

The usage of mi amigo – or similar – is common in Spanish, but the context is different. It is extremely regional what is used, for me (I speak Columbian Spanish) I would be comfortable talking with acquaintances with the opening ‘Bienvenidos, mi Amigo.’ but I would not say that to a stranger. If I was talking to a stranger, I would most likely use ‘Bienvenidos, señor.’ or ‘Bienvenidos, señora/señorita’ for their respective gender/age. Another option for saying this would be to just drop the honorific and use implied target with ‘Bienvenidos’. I hope this helps!

*Colombian. Also, Bienvenidos is plural, so you would need to use Bienvenido with all the examples you presented.

Hi Harise. Yes, it is used in some parts of México. The intention is to make anyone feel welcome. There are other words that can be used with the same purpose depending of the region the person is from: pariente (relative), primo (cousin), etc.

Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end, we’d sing and dance, forever and a day 🙂 When I use “my friend” in English (because I’m English) in that context, it’s either in a jovial manner (and toward a genuine friend), or a very serious manner toward a friend. The only reason I found this article was because i just told a friend to “kip well mon ami” and then I wondered what the full French for “sleep well my friend” was (dors bien mon ami, apparently). I think in any situation I’d use “mon ami” in French, it would be exactly the same as I’d use “my friend” in English. So yeah, in films it’s overused as the sole bit of French a French character might use, and that certainly isn’t going to be common. But as a jokingly formal (to a close friend), or very serious matter, I suspect it’s exactly the same as in English.

I really enjoyed my first look at commeunefrancais.com – can’t wait to dig deeper

Merci Lisa!

Good evening Geraldine I just had to comment. You look like a young Judy Garland. So sweet! Hope to visit France soon once this health crisis is over and we can fly in comfort with good food and French wine! Regards Tommy

Absurdité! Pure Merde, eh, Mon Amie!

Thank you for your lessons Geraldine. In the meantime, I am wandering, when I have to use in French “au revoir” and when “a la prochaine” or “a bientot” (sorry, I can’t use the french characters easily on my computer)? What is the difference between these words?

From my point of view, “au revoir” is always used whenever you are not so close to the person or that you don’t know when you might meet him again. Like for a doctor, a medical person or the owner of a shop you’re going often. For this last example you can also used “à la prochaine” or “à bientôt” as you like to see him again soon or regularly (but not for a doctor), like a friend or a good Office colleague we also say “A plus”, A pronounced “Ah” like in M”a”m”a” and written A+ in messages. Hope it’s more clear for you this way.

Hi Mike, ‘Au revoir’ and ‘À la prochaine’ are interchangeable. However, I would NOT use ‘À bientôt’ if I’m not expecting to see or talk (even on the phone) with that person again within a week, since “soon” cannot be weeks or months! ;=)

On most computers, you can use the Windows symbol and the space bar to toggle between languages.

I usually type in English and then toggle to French for just some of the letters I need to appear as French characters. For example, I type

ca va, Mike

then press Windows and space bar together which brings up French characters, hover over the c of ca va, and press the cedilla key; which is the number 9 on the keyboard. Then I toggle back to English characters.

So, I get ça va

Remember to toggle back to English or you will get this. çq vq: ?ike

Hope this helps

So very helpful, thank you!

Terrible article. So I shouldn’t use Mon Ami to refer to my friend, I should just use their name or nothing at all? than what do I say when I want to point that they are my friend who is not my best friend? 2/10, have had better French lessons on Google translate

You just say “Mon pote”. French here, this article is very true. You can refer to a friend as Mon Ami(e) but I would never use these words in a direct conversation with said friend. There might be some cultural aspects here which means that the scope of what friend means in France’s French is different to what it means in English (or even in French speaking places outside of France). No need to be insulting, just accept that there are some untold meanings behind words and that not all words have the exact same meaning in all languages. Cheers

PTDR I’m French and no this article isn’t true. Nothing EVER prevents you from saying “mon ami”. You might just sound a bit old timey but not everyone is familiar enough to say Mon pote or Poto

No need to be insulting. Napoleon. Geraldine is French and is absolutely correct.

But what if I was introducing a friend? Like ¨This is my friend!¨ would I use something different or just like ¨this is (friendsname)¨?

Good question 🙂

1 – You CAN use “Je te présente Claude, c’est mon ami / amie.” (= Here’s Claude, he/she is my friend.) You would be understood – but a French person would assume there are cultural differences between you. A French person wouldn’t really say that – it would be really intimate, and/or it could even be a euphemism for “lover.”

2 – As a French person, if I were to introduce a friend, I’d say something like “C’est Martin, on se connaît de la chorale.” (= Here’s Martin, we know each other from the choir club.) or “C’est Martin, un pote de lycée.” (= Here’s Martin, a friend from high school.) –> “Pote” is a more informal, less intimate, synonym for “friend.” It can apply to women too, but we would rather use “une copine.”

The extra mile for advanced learners: The show Bref (= “In short,” 2-min episodes) did a beautiful story on the subject. How “un pote” can become “un ami.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbGrzgcO68A

Have a great day, – Arthur, writer for Comme une Française

Thank you, that was really helpful

Thank you Arthur, it is really helpful.

I am French Canadian. When I reply “mon ami” in an email , it simply means “my friend” (usually someone you consider as a friend be it personal or at work) Merci mon ami! … Thank you my friend! (Feminine: Mon amie!)

So hercule poirot is stupid for saying mon ami all the time?

Hi Penny! Hercule Poirot is speaking old-fashioned French, with a bit of extra cliché to make him “sound French.” That works well for his settings! That’s not something we’d recommend doing for speaking in France, or something that French people do in everyday life 🙂

Keep in mind, Poirot is Dutch…maybe that changes the tone of his quirks.

Poirot is Belgian!

Remember that Hercule Poirot speaks French but is Belgian not Dutch ! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercule_Poirot

Very concise explanation!

Not really, if it’s someone he knows well (my friend) same rule as in english!

Remember that Hercule Poirot speaks French but is Belgian. In Belgium they have other subtile things that they say.

So hercule pioirot is stupid for saying mon ami all the time?

Merci les leçons sont très divertissants et utiles. Vous avez le style, aussi.

But, was it that way or just today’s French? Like, Disney’s Lumiere was around 1480s. Maybe that era’s “mon ami” differs than today’s? Of course it was made recently and for today’s audience lol, but I’m curious that perhaps in historical perspective what sounds wrong today might sounded okay back then. Maybe not in your expertise, I mean, history, but aren’t you curious about this? 😉 Thanks.

So Fabo! With the cartoons included in the lesson. Tellement excellent avec les bd ajouté dans le leçon

Thanks Mary!

(- Arthur, auteur pour Comme une Française)

Merci Géraldine ce leçon est très utile merci Anne

Bonjour tous ! I hope I can say that. Great practical lesson – i never knew not to use that. Could anyone help…. regarding Bonjour… if we bump into the same person/shop assistant/work colleague etc again…. then what are we meant to say…?

Rebonjour…

Now THAT is funny!

could one also say just RE?

The English speaking world is awash with expressions believed to be used by the French ~ mon brave, mon vieux, mon ami, mon cher, mes amis and goodness knows what else .. But the movie Frenchman ~ Englishman Claude Rains does it brilliantly as Captain Louis Renault in that timeless classic Casablanca, and all in an impeccable English accent … “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here.” “Your winnings sir.” “Oh, thank you very much.” Just fabulous 😀 A great lesson Géraldine, and I love the old cartoons.

Merci, Geraldine. J’aime beaucoup vos commentaires et votre maniere d’explication.

Salut Geraldine You say never use “Mon ami” ? What about if you qualify it? “Merci, ma chère amie” It is OK? My friend in Burgundy uses “mon ami” a lot in messages like “Merci mon ami pour ta magnifique carte” or ” Belle journée mon cher ami ” I am not sure I have understood when you should not use it…. Bisous Brian

Hi Brian W., As long as it’s part of a ‘long context’ and qualify it, you can use ‘Mon ami(e)’ like in English with ‘my dear friend’, etc. But not in expression(s) with only ‘hello,’ or ‘bye, bye’. Then it might sound sarcastic or pedantic, even. Just, as suggested, use their name, ‘Mark’, or Marie’ etc. if you really want to add something to that concise (but totally appropriate and sufficient) ‘hello’ (= ‘bonjour’) or ‘see you’ (= ‘au revoir’). Hope this helps.

Can you use bien fait for work that is done well?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: Not on its own. You can say “C’est un travail bien fait.” (= It’s well done work), but the expression “Bien fait !” on its own wouldn’t mean that. (French people would probably understand your mistake and your intention, though, and not be offended for it.)

Can I say “un travail bien fait monsieur” ?

Beautiful blouse Geraldine!

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• French in France
• DALF C1 & C2
• TCF for Quebec
• Online Exercises
• DELF Scolaire/Junior

DELF A1: Writing a Postcard or letter in french about your vacation

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How do you write a postcard or letter in french telling someone, such as a friend, about your vacation? This is a common question to be found on many french exam or test paper. Well this article a step by step guide on how to write a postcard or letter telling someone about your vacation.  

In the Production Ecrite section of your french exam such as the DELF A1 exam, you will be required to write a message, email or letter consisting of 40 to 50 words.  So lets begin!

How to plan your postcard or letter in french

It is possible to plan and practice various response to the possible exercises before the date of your exam.  In general, when you are writing a postcard there are certain information you may include, such as:

• How You went
• Where you went (montagne, plage, campagne, ville…)
• When / with whom you went
• Where or with whom are you staying? (à l’hôtel, chez l’habitant, dans un camping, dans un gîte…) Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
• What you saw or visit/did or are doing, etc
• Are you enjoying yourself?
• What is the weather and or the place like
• When are you coming back?
• Sign your name

While it is not necessary to provide all of the above information, It is important to note that DELF exam instructions, sometimes select from the list above and specifically ask you to include such information. As a result, it is important to practice different response which will include different combination of the suggestions above. The ones highlighted in red are the basics and should almost always be included in your postcard.

Writing your postcard or letter in french

Sample exercise: writing  a postcard or letter in french about your vacation.

Exercise 1                                                                                                   15 points  

Vous êtes en vacances à Nice. Vous envoyez une petite carte postale a un ami à Paris. Vous lui parlez de temps, de vous activités et vous lui donnez votre date de retour. (40 à 50 mots).

Sample letter in french about your vacation :

Bonjour Jean,

  (Word count = 49)

Sample Exercise for You!

Salut______________,

Je suis en vacances à _____________ pour _________________. C’est une ville très ______________. je visite_________________. c’est________________. Il fait______________ . Je rentrerai chez-moi _____________________.

________________

Evaluation:

• Greetings : Bonjour Jean ( We could also use: “Salut Jean Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 ”  “ Cher Jean” . Use “Chère” only if it is a female)
• Where you are and for how long: Je suis en vacances à Nice pour cinq jours
• What you did or are doing: Hier, j’ai jou é au volley sur la plage . Maintenant, je prends le déjeuner dans un petit café.
• Are you enjoying yourself? Super!
• What is the weather and or the place like: Il fait très beau, avec beaucoup de soleil.
• When are you coming back?:  Je rentrerai chez-moi samedi prochain.
• Farewells: Bises ( We could also use: “ Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 A bientôt” “or “a samedi !” or “a la semaine prochaine !” or “au revoir”)
• Sign your name: Janet

There is agreement of adjective and verb: un petit café. Plus I have used three tenses:

• Le présent: je prends, Il fait ,
• le passé composé: j’ai jou é
• le futur: Je rentrerai .

I have included the specific information that they had asked for. I have also stayed within the word limit. 

Remember to stick to the word limit and follow the instructions that are given. If they want you to provide any specific information such as when you are coming back, the weather, what you visited etc this must be included in your postcard. You will lose points if this is not done.

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9 ways to say “friend” in French

Ami (or its feminine form, amie ) is the most common way to say “friend” in French. But there are several other options.

As you learn French, may make some friends along the way, and you might want to know what to call them!

Let’s look at some common ways to say “friend” (and, sometimes, more than “friend”) in French!

9 ways to say “friend” in French

Here are the most common ways to say “friend” in French that you’ll come across. As you’ll see, many of these can also sometimes mean “boyfriend/girlfriend” or “lover,” too.  Luckily, there are usually ways to tell what’s being implied.

The standard “friend” (and sometimes “boyfriend/girlfriend” or “lover”) – ami/amie   

Ami(e)  is the most basic, common word for “friend” in French.

This word has to agree with the person or people it’s referring to, so you’ll see it either as:

• ami  – a male or unspecified friend
• amie  – a female friend
• amis  –  more than one male friend or a group of male and female friends
• amies  – more than one female friend

It can be used in formal or informal situations, so it’s the perfect go-to word for “friend” in French.

….But ami/amie  can also refer to a boyfriend/girlfriend or lover.

To tell which one a person means, as a general rule:

• If ami/amie  is used with un or une, it refers to a platonic friend.
• If ami/amie  is used with a possessive pronoun, it refers to a boyfriend/girlfriend or lover
• When ami  and amie  are in their plural forms, regardless of the article or pronoun that precedes them, it’s understood that they mean “platonic friends”, unless there’s a very explicit explanation or context otherwise.

So for instance, Elle est partie en voyage avec un ami  (She went on a trip with a friend) would mean that these two are just friends; Elle habite avec un ami  (She lives with a (guy) friend) means she’s living with a male friend, not a boyfriend.

These are general rules, and there are exceptions.

For instance, sometimes you can just use a possessive pronoun with ami(e)  and have it mean, well, “friend”. For example, Tu es mon ami  (You’re my friend) or J’ai vu ton ami Christophe au supermarch é l’autre jour .  (I saw your friend Christophe at the supermarket the other day.)    Often, it just comes down to context.

Sometimes, certain common phrases with ami   use a possessive pronoun but are known to only refer to friendship. One of the most common of these is mon cher ami (my dear friend).

Fortunately, knowing which one is being implied is usually pretty easy to suss out by context. For instance, Elle est parti en voyage avec son ami  could mean she’s gone on a trip with her boyfriend, but it’s a bit ambiguous. But if you say Elle habite avec son ami , it would be understood that she lives with her boyfriend.

Note that because most of France is still influenced by traditional, hetero-normative culture, if someone says something like Elle habite chez son amie , not everyone would necessarily understand that the women are a couple. But as French society evolves, it’s increasingly likely that it would be understood, especially by younger generations.

Ils sont amis.  (They’re friends.) Tu es mon amie.   (You’re my friend.) Il habite avec son amie.  (He lives with his girlfriend.) Marie est une amie à moi. (Marie is a friend of mine.) On y va, les amis !  (Let’s go, (my) friends!) Tu vas te faire pleins d’amis.  (You’re going to make lots of friends.) Mes amies m’ont dit que cette robe me va à merveille. (My friends told me this dress looks amazing on me.)

The “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” – petit ami/petite amie

Another way ami(e)  can be used to mean “romantic interest” that’s far less ambiguous is the phrase petit(e) ami(e) , which means “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”.

You may be wondering why, then, French people don’t just use this all the time when it comes to talking about a romantic partner. The answer is that petit ami/petite amie  is used with the connotation that a relationship is recent or maybe that you’re not expecting it will last a long time.

For instance, a parent might use this term for the person their high school-age kid is dating. Or maybe some adult friends have just met another friend’s new boyfriend or girlfriend.

After a while, as the relationship gets more serious, words like ami(e), copain/copine , or compagnon/compagne are used.

In a way, it makes sense; there’s nothing petit(e)  about the role a long-term partner plays in your life – or at least, there shouldn’t be!

Charles est son petit ami.  (Charles is her boyfriend.) Elle a une nouvelle petite amie.  (She has a new girlfriend.) C’est ma petite amie.  (That’s my girlfriend.)

The other common “friend” or sometimes “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” – copain/copine

C opain  or copine  is another fairly common way to say “friend” in French. It’s slightly less formal than ami(e) , but not by much.

Like ami(e) , it has to agree with the person it’s referring to:

• copain  – a male or unspecified friend
• copine  – a female friend
• copains  –  more than one male friend or a group of male and female friends
• copines  – more than one female friend

Another way copain/copine  is similar to ami(e) is that it could refer to either a platonic friend or a boyfriend or girlfriend (although not necessarily a lover).

As with ami(e),   if you’re lucky, you may also get the benefit of hearing or seeing   un or  une before the word. In that case, the person is talking about just a friend. But, as with ami(e) , if copain/copine  is used with a possessive pronoun, it usually (but not always!) means “boyfriend/girlfriend”.

And as with ami(e) , context is the best way to know whether or not this word means just a friend or a romantic partner.

Elle habite chez une copine.  (She lives at her friend’s place.) Elle habite avec son copain.  (She lives with her boyfriend.) Tu es un très bon copain.  (You’re a good friend.) C’est un copain à moi.  (He’s a friend of mine.)

The “pal” or “mate” – pote

Pote  means “pal” (US English) or “mate” (UK English) in French.

In most cases, pote  is masculine. But as with “pal” in English, it doesn’t necessarily denote a particular gender; it’s just much more commonly associated with males.

However, in more contemporary French, pote  can also be used to refer to a female friend and is preceded by a feminine modifier.

Salut mon pote !   (Hey, my friend!) On a passé hier soir entre potes.  (We spent last night our pals.) Jean-Luc est mon pote.  (Jean-Luc’s my pal.) Sarah est ma pote.  (Sarah’s my pal.)

The “bud” – poteau

Poteau  is a diminutive of pote – a rough equivalent of “pal”, “bud”, or “mate”. It’s an informal, slang way to refer to a friend.

Unlike pote , this word is exclusively used with male modifiers, and it usually refers to male friends only. That said, language constantly evolves, so maybe this will also eventually be used with female friends and modifiers. For now, though, use it only with male friends – and in very informal situations.

Ça roule poteau ?  (How’s it going, pal?) Ce mec est ton poteau ?  (Is this guy your friend?) On va sortir avec les poteaux ce soir.  (We’re going out with our pals/mates tonight.)

The “bro” – fr è re  or fr é rot

In French, frère  usually means “brother” and frérot  is a familiar, informal way to say “little brother”. But just as “brother” in Anglophone slang can refer to a close male friend, the same goes for these two words. Frère  and frérot  are rough equivalents of “bro” or “bruv”.

These words are mostly used by people from the banlieue  (French equivalent of inner cities) and in street culture, rather than by frat boys and the like. A wealthy Caucasian French person using frère  or frérot  this way would come off as a bit false or trying to be cool.

That said, in extreme or poetic situations when someone wants to express a feeling of deep solidarity with another person, frère , or, less commonly, sœur  (sister) between women, could be used, just like in English.

But in general, unless you’re young and hip and talking to someone else who is young and hip, it’s probably best not to call anyone fr è re  or frérot  in French.

Ça va mon frère ?  (How’s it going, bro?) Wesh, frérot ?  (‘sup, bro?)

The “friend from school”  – un/une   camarade (de classe)

Short for camarade de classe , the word camarade  is often used to refer to a friend from school or a classmate. This word can be masculine or feminine.

Voici Sarah, c’est une camarade de classe. (This is Sarah, she’s a friend from school/classmate of mine.) De temps en temps, il boit un verre avec ses anciens camarades de classe. (Now and then he has a drink with his old classmates.)

Note that camarade  is also the equivalent of “comrade” for French Communists.

The “close friend” – un/une intime

As a noun, intime  means “a close friend”. It’s slightly formal and a bit less common than most of the other words on our list.  

It may surprise you to know that although the word is related to intimacy, this type of friend is exclusively platonic. It’s an intimacy of the soul.

You may also come across this word’s longer version, ami intime/amie intime.

C’est un intime de la famille.  (He’s a close friend of the family.) Elle a passé la soirée avec quelques intimes.  (She spent the evening with a few close friends.)

How do you say “best friend” in French?

The most common way to say “best friend” in French is:

meilleur ami  for a male friend or meilleure amie  for a female friend – literally best ( meilleur(e) )  and friend ( ami(e) ).

But as you can probably guess after reading this list, there are a few other ways to say “best friend” in French, too.

The most common of these include:

• meilleur copain/meilleure copine  – This form is a bit less common than meilleur(e) ami(e) , but you’ll still come across it a lot. It’s also a bit less formal than meilleur(e) ami(e) , so when talking to an older French person or in a formal situation, it’s best to opt for the ami(e) version.  
• meilleur pote  – This is a very informal way to say “best friend” in French. Although, as we’ve seen, pote  can be used to refer to a female friend, too, using it to say “best friend” is almost always for male friends. It’s extremely rare to see meilleure pote .

Hélène est ma meilleure amie.  (Helene is my best friend.) Il gère l’entreprise avec son meilleur ami. (He runs the business with his best friend.) Mon chat est mon meilleur ami.  (My cat is my best friend.) Hélène est ma meilleure copine.  (Helene is my best friend.) Robert est le meilleur copain de Richard. (Robert is Richard’s best friend.) Michel est mon meilleur pote.  (Michel is my best friend.) Je pars en Espagne ce weekend avec mes meilleurs potes.  (I’m going to Spain this weekend with my best pals/mates.)

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

Our list features the most common ways to say “friend” in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for “ comment dire ami en  ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for ami   on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French  – you may discover different ways to talk about friends.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different kinds of friends, or words about friendship in French, the WordReference entry for ami   is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is the perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of Voltaire: Toutes les grandeurs du monde ne valent pas un bon ami . (A good friend is worth more than all of the titles and riches in the world.)

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Alysa Salzberg

Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France, for more than a decade. She has taught English and French for more than ten years, most notably as an assistante de langue vivante for L'Education Nationale. She recently published her first novel, Hearts at Dawn , a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling that takes place during the 1870 Siege of Paris. You can read about her adventures here , or feel free to stop by her website .

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10 Beautiful Friendship Quotes in French

Friendship is a precious gift, and it can be even more special when shared with others in a beautiful language like French.

Here are 10 beautiful French friendship quotes that perfectly capture the essence of this special bond.

1. “L’amitié double les joies et divise les peines” – Friendship doubles joys and divides sorrows

This quote reminds us that having a friend by our side can make good times even better and help us through tough times.

2. “L’amitié, c’est comme un arbre, il faut le planter pour en profiter de ses fruits” – Friendship is like a tree, you have to plant it to enjoy its fruits

This quote encourages us to invest time and effort into our friendships to reap the rewards.

3. “L’amitié c’est une fleur qu’il faut arroser tous les jours” – Friendship is a flower that must be watered every day

This quote emphasizes the importance of maintaining and nurturing our friendships.

4. “La véritable amitié ne connaît ni la distance ni le temps” – True friendship knows neither distance nor time

This quote highlights the enduring nature of true friendship, even when separated by distance or time.

5. “L’amitié c’est l’équilibre de la confiance et de la sincérité” – Friendship is the balance of trust and sincerity

This quote emphasizes the importance of trust and honesty in friendship.

6. “L’amitié c’est un sourire, un mot gentil, un geste attentionné” – Friendship is a smile, a kind word, a thoughtful gesture

This quote celebrates the small acts of kindness that make friendship so special.

7. “L’amitié c’est une main tendue dans les moments difficiles” – Friendship is a helping hand in difficult times

This quote highlights the support and comfort that friends can provide during difficult times.

8. “L’amitié c’est un trésor qu’il faut chérir” – Friendship is a treasure to cherish

This quote reminds us to cherish the gift of friendship and hold it close to our hearts.

9. “L’amitié c’est une rose, elle a besoin d’être entourée d’attentions pour ne pas faner” – Friendship is a rose, it needs to be surrounded by attentiveness to not wilt

This quote emphasizes the importance of paying attention to our friendships and taking care of them.

10. “L’amitié c’est la lumière qui éclaire les ténèbres de la vie” – Friendship is the light that illuminates the darkness of life

This quote celebrates the power of friendship to bring light and happiness into our lives.

In conclusion, these beautiful French friendship quotes serve as a testament to the special bond that can be formed between friends.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration or simply want to appreciate the beauty of the French language, these quotes are sure to warm your heart.

Alors, share these quotes with your friends and celebrate the joys of friendship!

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How to correctly say "my friend" in French to express a friendship relation? — Comment limiter la portée de « mon ami(e) » à une relation d'amitié ?

My French teacher always say that “mon amie” or “mon ami” expresses an amorous relationship, like “girlfriend” and “boyfriend”.

So, what would be the current way to say things like (for example):

• I have a friend that lives near my house.
• I'm going to travel with my friend.

Mon professeur de français dit toujours que « mon ami(e) » exprime une relation amoureuse. Comment peut-on formuler ces phrases en étant certain qu'elles évoquent une relation d'amitié :

• J'ai un ami qui habite à coté de chez moi.
• Je vais faire un voyage avec mon ami.

• 3 Don't expect to avoid all ambiguities, though. –  Axioplase Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 1:44
• 7 The ambiguity is even built-in on purpose, I like to think. French people like to wonder whether this or that was a not entirely hidden hint about such or such, and it'll make a perfect topic of conversation during coffee break, or at the barber's, etc. Ambiguity on such topics is very welcome in French culture. –  glmxndr Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 5:46
• Indeed. It's a tricky thing for anyone, natural french speakers included. Sorry ! –  Romain Valeri Commented Mar 22, 2014 at 16:31

9 Answers 9

« Mon ami(e) » peut exprimer une relation d'amitié ou d'amour suivant le contexte, voire entretenir l'ambiguïté. Mais par défaut, tu peux considérer que la relation est de l'amitié. Ce n'est qu'avec certains adjectifs qu' ami exprime explicitement une relation amoureuse : « mon petit ami / ma petite amie » (courant, surtout chez les adolescents), « mon bon ami / ma bonne amie » (rare en français actuel). « Mon ami(e) » peut signifier une relation amoureuse, mais en général seulement si le contexte le laisse par ailleurs apparaître. Le Trésor de la langue française traite de ces cas dans la section I.A.2 (j'omets ici les exemples) :

2. [L'attachement inclut la relation amoureuse] a) [L'accent est mis principalement sur la nature sentimentale de l'attachement]      (exemples où le contexte rend apparent que ce n'est pas le sens habituel) b) Par euphémisme ou pudeur. [L'accent est mis principalement sur la nature physique de l'attachement, avec une idées de relations avant ou hors ou sans mariage] — Langue commune (surtout au féminin, avec une épithète de valeur affective). Bon(ne), petit(e) ami(e) . — Synonyme noble ou mondain de amant , maîtresse

Dans l'usage courant, « mon ami(e) » s'emploie quelquefois pour désigner quelqu'un avec qui l'on a une relation amoureuse stable hors mariage, mais ce n'est pas l'interprétation la plus courante, elle nécessite souvent de préciser qu'il s'agit d'un «  common law spouse  » et pas d'un simple friend . La facilité de passer à l'interprétation amoureuse dépend peut-être des régions ou des classes sociales.

Toutefois, en général, on dira plutôt « un(e) ami(e) » la première fois que l'on parle de la personne, et « mon ami(e) » les fois suivantes, parce que l'adjectif possessif a un caractère défini  : c'est l'ami de moi dont j'ai parlé précédemment ( mon ami = my friend , un ami = a friend (of mine) ).

Pour le mot copain , c'est l'inverse : « mon copain / ma copine », c'est une personne avec laquelle on entretient une relation amoureuse, sauf si le contexte indique le contraire. C'est ce mot qu'on peut plus rapprocher de boyfriend / girlfriend , bien que l'utilisation non amoureuse reste plus courante en français qu'en anglais.

I have a friend that lives near my house. My friend likes waffles. → J'ai un ami qui habite près de chez moi. Mon ami aime les gaufres. I'm going to travel with my friend. → Je vais partir en voyage avec un ami. I'm going to travel with my girlfriend. → Je vais partir en voyage avec ma copine. My friend Charlie will come with me. → Mon ami Charlie va m'accompagner.

• Il y a aussi les termes ma compagne, mon compagnon qui indiquent une relation amoureuse. –  mouviciel Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 13:19
• 8 Si "copain" sous-entend une relation amoureuse, ce n'est pas le cas chez les enfants ; et bizarrement, cette notion amoureuse disparaît aussi quand il est qualifié (sauf par "petit), par exemple c'est un bon copain –  rds Commented Dec 31, 2011 at 13:32
• 2 En fait, copain tout comme ami perd la notion de relation amoureuse avec un possessif. "C'est un copain" n'a rien d'ambigu, contrairement à "C'est mon copain" –  Vincent Robert Commented Jan 6, 2012 at 13:10
• @VincentRobert : Hmm, copain avec un possessif, n'est pas ambiguë, pour moi. Si une fille me dit de quelqu'un que c'est son copain, alors c'est clairement son boyfriend . Si un gars me dit ça, alors ça dépend du contexte (mais ça sera quand même rarement ambiguë, avec le contexte). –  Nikana Reklawyks Commented Nov 28, 2012 at 0:17

It is just not true to consider "mon ami" or "mon amie" means an amorous relationship. People may use "ami" to refer to such a relation, but as already told unless the context is different, it refers to a friendship.

The choice of the pronoun can change the meaning too. For example, suppose you are invited to a party:

• "Je viendrai avec mon amie ." is not very clear. It is likely to refer to a girlfriend but may equally refer to a friendship.
• "Je viendrai avec une amie ." is clearly referring to a friendship.
• "Je vous présente mon amie , Laure." is likely referring to a friendship. The behavior might make the meaning different though.

If you are looking to other ways of referring to friends, you can use:

• "une connaissance" , which refers to a weak relation, an "acquaintance"
• "un/une pote" , which is familiar and basically means "buddy"
• "un ami/une amie"
• "un (très) bon ami/une (très) bonne amie" , which means "a (very) good friend" and leaves no doubt it is a friendship
• "un ami (très) proche/une amie (très) proche" , "a (very) close friend"
• "mon meilleur ami/ma meilleure amie" , to refer to your best friend

On a personal note, I always had the feeling that "ami" in French has a very strong meaning, stronger than "friend" . But maybe it is just my interpretation of the word.

On a side note, children will often use "copain/copine" . This is much less usual for grown ups, especially since those are way more likely to refer to a date as soon as you enter teen age.

• 2 To me, je viendrai avec mon amie. and Je vous présente mon amie, Laure refer to a girlfriend. –  Shlublu Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 7:35
• hmmm, maybe here saying "mon amie", instead of just "Je vous présente Laure." could be understood as an emphasis on the fact she is a girlfriend. But to me it really all depends on the context. –  Julien Guertault Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 8:03

Si tu utilises un article indéfini : « un ami » c'est tout de suite évident que tu ne parles pas de ce type de relation (ou alors il faudrait que tu prononces un d'une manière ambiguë et marquée). Sinon tu as un synonyme à un niveau de langage moins soutenu « pote » qui devrait faire l'affaire.

• 1 When searching a dictionary, you might see that « pote » means « pal », but the difference between pal/friend and pote/ami isn't the same. I think in fact that « pote » suits best and I agree with @Knu. Note that « copain » has the same meaning as well, but it may sound a bit childish using it in your sentence if you say « un copain » and involves a relationship if you say « mon copain ». –  SteeveDroz Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 6:20
• This is the best solution to avoid all ambiguity in most cases. If you want to present a friend to your family, you can say "Je vous présente XXX, c'est un(e) [très bon(ne)] ami(e) à moi". –  gaborous Commented May 31, 2016 at 13:54
• ma petite amie for girlfriend
• mon petit ami for boyfriend

So ami/e needs to be qualified as petit/e to convey an amorous relationship. You can tell your teacher that for sure.

I think that petit(e) ami(e) is somewhat old fashioned (an over fortyish thing perhaps?). Younger generations will talk of mon copain or ma copine . With the possessive pronoun in front of the noun amorous relationship is involved and it does not sound ambiguous at all.

On the other hand I have heard older people (a pre WW2 thing perhaps ?) talk of mon bon ami et ma bonne amie (use of bon/bonne ) but that could be ambiguous because it was also a form of address to someone who was not particularly your friend or that you did not particularly know. It could be used to convey a patronizing attitude towards an inferior.

• As part of the younger generation, I totally agree with this answer. (And this comment should be framed by it.) –  Nikana Reklawyks Commented Nov 28, 2012 at 0:24

The familiar " pote " is another way to avoid any ambiguity, as it doesn't have the "boyfriend" signification at all.

I have a friend that lives near my house. J'ai un pote qui habite près de chez moi. I'm going to travel with my friend. Je vais voyager avec mon pote.

But the downside of it is that it's indeed quite familiar. You could also use " camarade " in some contexts; maybe not as a translation of "friend" but rather of "mate" though.

My roommate didn't come home up until 1am. Mon camarade de chambre n'est pas rentré avant 2 heures du matin. 1 Didn't your classmates tell you there was a test today? Vos camarades de classe ne vous ont-ils pas dit qu'il y avait une interro aujourd'hui ?

As for the usage of "ami" by itself, mostly the context should make it clear whether it's more than just a friend, unless it's left unclear on purpose; but other answers covered that better than I could.

1. Taking into account the time zone difference between France and the UK, of course.

• Beware though, depending on the context camarade might have a communist connotation. –  Knu Commented Oct 29, 2016 at 13:33

"mon ami(e)" is an old way to say my girl/boyfriend. Even if it is almost not used anymore. People avoid it because it may still be ambiguous, I almost never heard that.

People can say "un ami", "un pote", "un de mes amis".

For instance, "Je vais diner avec un ami/pote." is very clearly about friendship, and it's also clearly about "my friend".

The sentence "My English friend comes to Paris." would be translated by "J'ai un ami anglais qui vient à Paris." or "Un de mes potes anglais vient à Paris."

As a Canadian, Quebecers call their girlfriend and boyfriend: un chum (mas)or une chum (fem).

"I have a friend that lives near my house" = «J'ai un ami qui habite loin de ma maison»

I have no idea what people call their girlfriend or boyfriend in France but I hear its une copaine for girlfriend and un copine for boyfriend

• It is not unusual to refer to a friend as "un(e) chum" or a a group of friends as "mes chums." The ambiguity is the same. –  François G. Dorais Commented Dec 15, 2011 at 0:42

In French, ami(e) and copain/copine can correspond to friend in English, depending on the context.

Etymologically, un(e) ami(e) is someone you love/like ( amo, as, are in Latin -> Aimer/ to love ) whereas un copain/une copine is someone you share pain [=bread] with.

In France, the relationship you have with a person can determine whether it's your copain or ami . You'd for example have a ami you've known for quite a long time, and have a copain that you know from work and with whom you don't share an intense friendship. There also is a tendency to add the adjective petit [=small] to either ami or copain in order to mean boyfriend/girlfriend .

However, copain/copine can sometimes be understood, in French and according to context (people you're talking to, discussion etc.), as your significant other.

For instance, if a lady/girl/woman says :

Mon copain travaille à la banque.

Or a guy/boy/man says :

Ma copine travaille à la banque.

And that the context has references to couples and love relationships, then it takes the meaning of boyfriend/girlfriend . Otherwise, if the people in the discussion are talking about friends, then it's understood as friend in general.

If the context isn't really constant/set, use ami as it doesn't have that kind of nuance.

"mon fiancé, ma fiancé" is now used to refer to a close relationship, almost a couple in France now, the word and full meaning of the word fiancé was changed by law some years ago. Now used in France to show a very close relationship with no firm intention of marriage. Often a man will call his lover or beloved "wife" meaning a deeply close love. My French lover calls me my wife, a strong way to say deeply beloved. The name fiancé is now the word used to say "my girlfriend" in France. In England this word means an intention to Marry, not so in France.

• 3 Je ne suis pas d'accord: mon fiancé, ma fiancé désignent toujours l'homme, la femme qui deviendra mon mari, ma femme. –  chepseskaf Commented Mar 21, 2015 at 16:20
• Rey parle de fiancé-e comme euphémisme pour amant/maîtresse. Je ne pense pas que ça supplante le sens original. Quelle loi aurait effectué la transformation dont on parle? De manière familière, peut-être "ma femme" comme "mon homme" et non "mon mari" - votre amoureux dit-il "my wife" ou "ma femme" i.e. ma femme peut signifier mon épouse mais pas nécessairement. Il y a bien ce proverbe : « N'épouse pas toujours qui fiance; qui fiance n'épouse pas. ». Il faut nuancer davantage... –  user3177 Commented Mar 25, 2015 at 20:16

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A Conversation in French Between Two Friends (audio dialogue & clips)

One of the most efficient ways to learn to speak a language is by talking to friends who are native speakers.

Thing is, though, it's really hard to make friends with a native without having minimum speaking and listening skills in their language  (unless of course they also speak yours).

So, for you to become friends with a French speaking person, you would first need to be able to hold a typical conversation between friends.

In this post, we look at an example of a conversation in French between two pals.

Obviously, friends may talk about a lot of different things.  But here we'll focus on the idea of keeping and sharing secrets, a quite common discussion topic among friends.

Hopefully, after reading the dialogue and explanations and listening to the recordings, you'll be better at exchanging with a French-speaking buddy.

Conversation in French between two friends : dialogue

Check out the following dialogue in French :

C'était sympa la fête de samedi hein ? Oui c'était top. Michael a vraiment assuré ! Oui... c'est dommage que Marc ne soit pas venu. Apparemment, il n'a pas été invité... C'est vrai ? Comment tu le sais ? C'est Marie qui me l'a dit. Elle l'a appris par Philippe, qui l'a su par Nadège. Mais ... pourquoi Michael ne l'a pas invité ? Eh bien ... je ne peux pas te le dire ... C'est un secret.   Marie n'était même pas censée me le dire. Mais tu peux me le dire à moi, quand même ! Ecoute, elle m'a fait promettre de ne le répéter à personne... Mais entre nous ! Bon, tu jures de le garder pour toi ? Oui ! promis juré.  Je suis une tombe ! Un peu pipelette sur les bords, quand même ... Moi ? Pas du tout ! Je ne répète jamais rien ! Bon... mais ça reste entre nous ! Oui bien sûr . Alors voilà : Michael est fâché contre Marc car il a répété quelque chose que Michael lui avait confié.  Ça a fait le tour de la ville ! Ah c'est pour ça ! Oui ! En même temps, je comprends qu'il lui en veuille !  Un ami qui ne sait pas garder un secret, ce n'est pas un ami, tu trouves pas ?

Here's the audio for the French dialogue :

Here's the English version :

It was a cool party saturday, wasn't it ? Yeah it was awesome.  Michael really nailed it ! Yeah ... Too bad Marc didn't come though. Apparently, he wasn't invited ... Really ? How do you know ? Marie told me.  She found out through Philippe, who find out through Nadège. But ... Why didn't Michael invite him ? Well... I can't tell you ... It's a secret.  Marie wasn't even supposed to tell me. Come on, to me you can say it ! Well you see, she made me promise not to tell anyone ... It'll be between us ! Well, you swear to keep it to yourself ? Cross my heart ! I'll be silent as a grave ! Well, you can be a bit of a gossip ... Me ? Absolutely not ! I never reveal anything ! Well alright ... But it'll have to stay between us ! Sure ! OK here goes : Michael is upset with Marc because Marc revealed a secret Michael told him.  Everyone in town now knows about it. Oh, that's why ! Yep ! I can understand his being mad at him though.  A friend who can't keep a secret isn't really a friend, don't you think ?

Talking about the party

Our French speaking dialogue starts with the two friends exchanging impressions on the party that they both went to last saturday.

"C'était sympa la fête de samedi hein ?"

Note how Sophie uses the term "sympa". It's short for "sympathique" and means "nice", "cool", "pleasant".  It can refer to a place, an event, a person, a movie, or just about anything :

"Il est très sympa ton copain" (your buddy is very nice / cool)

"Sympa ce tableau !"  (nice painting !)

"C'est sympa comme voyage"  (that's a nice/cool trip)

Note : you can find more examples of the use of "sympa" in the following posts and lessons :

French conversation for a cocktail party

Video lesson : Les yeux de l’amour (the eyes of love)

Video lesson : Une rencontre peu intéressante (a dull encounter)

Jean replies :

"Oui c'était top. Michael a vraiment assuré !"

The expression "c'est top" is a highly used colloquial phrase to indicate greatness.  It means "it's top notch".  As often, French speakers borrow some expressions from English and slightly deform them - including their meaning in some cases.

"Ce film est top !"

"Il est vraiment top cet hotel !"

Jean then says "il a vraiment assuré !".  This is another spoken French expression that means "he really nailed it !", in this case meaning, he really knows how to throw a party.

You can find another example use of "assurer" in How to understand spoken French better .

Sophie then says :

"c'est dommage que Marc ne soit pas venu."

She expresses regrets for Marc not being there.  "C'est dommage" translates to "it's too bad", it's a shame", "it's a pity".  Note that when a verb follows, it is in subjunctive form :

"C'est dommage que tu ne sois pas là" (it's too bad you're not here)

"C'est dommage qu'il ne fasse pas beau" (it's a shame the weather is bad)

"C'est  dommage que je doive partir"  (it's too bad I have to leave)

A little secret

Jean answers :

"Apparemment, il n'a pas été invité..."

Here, the word "apparemment" suggests there's a story behind the fact Marc wasn't invited, which stirs Sophie's curiosity.  Jean could have instead chosen not to said anything to avoid more questions.

As one might expect, Sophie digs deeper :

"C'est vrai ? Comment tu le sais ?"

Other typical phrases Sophie might have used in place of  "c'est vrai ?" :

"Vraiment ?" "Ah bon ?" "Ah oui ?"

And of course, by asking "comment tu le sais ?", Sophie seeks to know more about the story behind Marc's not attending the party.

Jean then starts getting Sophie hooked with some juicy information :

"C'est Marie qui me l'a dit. Elle l'a appris par Philippe, qui l'a su par Nadège."

Note the construct "c'est Marie qui..."   using this construct, as opposed to "Marie me l'a dit",  serves to emphasize Marie rather than what she said.   It's like saying "Mary is the one who told me".

"C'est toi qui me l'a apporté" (you're the one who brought it to me)

"C'est eux qui m'ont fait ça" (they're the ones who did that to me)

"C'est elle qui le veut" (she's the one who wants it)

For more examples of using this construct click right here .

Jean reveals how the information got around through word of mouth :

"elle l'a appris par Philippe" "Philippe l'a su par Nadège"

Here, the verbs "apprendre" and "savoir" both have a meaning of "to find out" - even though their usual meaning is "to learn" and "to know".

Notice also the use of "par" for "through" :

"Je l'ai su par mes collègues"  (I found out through my colleagues)

"Nous l'avons appris par la télé"  (we found out through television)

Equivalent to " il l'a su " is " elle le sait " (present tense) :

"Philippe le sait par Nadège"  (he found out through her)

"Je le sais par le chauffeur" (I found out through the driver)

Digging around

Sophie logically asks why Marc was not invited, to which Jean replies :

"Eh bien ... je ne peux pas te le dire ... C'est un secret. "

These are very typical phrases we use in spoken French when saying something is a secret - it's the same in most languages (can't tell you, it's a secret)

He then adds :

"Marie n'était même pas censée me le dire."

He's suggesting he himself isn't supposed to know about it, as Marie wasn't supposed to tell him.  "Etre censé faire quelque chose" basically translates to "to be supposed to do something".  Examples :

"Tu es censé t'excuser !"  (you're supposed to apologize !)

"Il est censé m'apporter l'argent du loyer"  (he's supposed to bring me rent money)

"On était censés partir hier" (we were supposed to leave yesterday)

Note he uses "même pas" (not even) to convey that even he should not know about the secret :

"elle n'était même pas censée me le dire"

For example, suppose someone comes uninvited to an event, and later complains about the event.  You may respond :

"Il n'était même pas censé être là !"  - he wasn't even supposed to be here - implicitly you're saying he's not entitled to complain !

Negotiating

Sophie then begs Jean:

"Mais tu peux me le dire à moi, quand même !"

This is a typical phrase to say when you're asking someone to reveal something to you - and only to you.  Notice the use of "à moi", which is redundant after "tu peux me le dire".   It means "To me you can say it !"

The phrase is futher reinforced by "quand même", which in this context means something like "for god's sake" and here means "even if it's a secret, I'm not just anyboady, I'm your friend, someone you trust".

Another example of using this construct might be :

"Tu peux me faire confiance à moi quand même !"  (something like : me you can trust, even if you can't trust others)

Again, the redundant "à moi", emphasing the idea of "it's me !", and "quand même", which is like saying "for god's sake!"

Jean is still reluctant to let her in on it, and further emphasizes the importance of the matter :

"Ecoute, elle m'a fait promettre de ne le répéter à personne..."

Saying "Ecoute" gives more weight and significant to what follows :

"Ecoute, il faut que je te dise quelque chose ..."  (listen, I need to tell you something)

"Ecoute, on a un grave problème" (listen, we have a serious problem)

He then says "Elle m'a fait promettre" (she made me promise).  Faire + verb translates to make + verb :

"Tu me fais faire des bêtises" (you make me do stupid things)

"Elle me fait perdre la tête"  (she makes me lose my head)

"Ils me font travailler dur"  (they make me work hard)

In our dialogue, Jean says "elle m'a fait promettre de ne le répéter à personne" (promise not to tell anyone).  Notice the use of "répéter" - literally "repeat" - to mean "reveal", "tell"

Notice the use of "ne" + verb +  "personne".  Example :

" ne parler à personne " " ne voir personne " "Je promets de ne faire de mal à personne"  (I promise not to hurt anyone)

The takeaway from this section : if you don't want to reveal something someone told you, you might just say :

"il/elle m'a fait promettre de ne le dire / répéter à personne."

Sophie begs :

"Mais entre nous !" (literally, but just between you and I !)

This is another common French expression you use to push someone to reveal a secret to you in the name of the trust that exists between him and you.

"Entre nous, combien d'argent a-t-elle gagné ?"  (between you and I, how much money did she make ?)

In our conversation between two friends, Sophie has just about convinced Jean to reveal the secret to her.  Before doing so Sophie says :

"Bon, tu jures de le garder pour toi ?"

The leading "bon" indicates he's about ready to let it out, but before he does he wants one last reassurance that the secret will be safe with Sophie.

Note the phrase "garder pour toi", equivalent to the English "keep to oneself".  In spoken French we commonly say :

"Tu promets de le garder pour toi ?"  ("le" here referring to some revelation we're about to make)

Or, after revealing it, you might say "tu gardes ça pour toi hein !" (keep that to yourself OK ?)

Sophie's response : "promis juré" is a child expression sort of like "cross my heart, hope to die".

"Tu promets de finir tes devoirs avant de sortir ?" (you promise to finish your homework before you go out ?)

"Promis juré !"

Sophie then adds "je suis une tombe", meaning, I'll be silent as a grave, I won't ever tell anyone.  A similar expression is :

"je serai muet / muette comme une tombe" (literally, I'll be mute as a grave)

Jean then teases :

"Un peu pipelette sur les bords, quand même ... "

The word "pipelette" means a gossip, blabbermouth, someone who talks a lot all the time. A very common French phrase is :

"tu es une vraie pipelette !"

Another common term for gossip is "concierge" : "C'est une vraie concierge"

The expression "un peu ... sur les bords" is also a very commonly used colloquial expression. It literally means "a little [adjective] on the side". It's like hinting the someone is a bit [adjective] :

"Il est un peu radin sur les bords" (he's a little bit cheap)

In our conversation between friends, "pipelette" is not really an adjective but used as one : "tu es un peu pipelette sur les bords". Jean is suggesting that Sophie does tend to be a bit of a gossip sometimes.

Sophie stronly disagrees with her friend's accusation :

"Moi ? Pas du tout !" (me ? absolutely not !).

"Pas du tout" is used all the time in spoken French. It also means "not at all" :

"Tu as froid ?" "Non, pas du tout" (Are you cold ? No, not at all)

"La fumée te dérange ?" "Pas du tout" (does smoke bother you ? not at all)

She adds to her disagreements saying "Je ne répète jamais rien !"

Here again, "répéter" is employed to mean "reveal" rather than "repeat".

Also notice the construct "ne ... jamais rien", which means "never ... anything" :

"On ne fait jamais rien" (we never do anything)

"Elle ne voit jamais rien" (she never sees anything)

Jean next goes "Bon... mais ça reste entre nous !"

It's the second time he says "bon", suggesting Sophie's arguments ended up convincing him and he's ready to reveal the big secret.  He does issue one last warning :

"Mais ça reste entre nous !"

The expression "ça reste entre nous" (it'll stay between us), like in English, is often used to say "you won't tell anyone else" :

"On m'a dit que le patron démissionne ... Ça reste entre nous hein!" (I was told the boss is resigning... That info shall stay between us, OK ?)

Another expression often used in secretive situations is :

"Je ne t'ai rien dit hein ?"  (literally, I haven't told you anything OK ?)

It's like saying, if anyone asks, I'm not the one who told you.

After Sophie agrees to keeping the secret, Jean says "alors voilà" to get Sophie's full attention and announce he's about to say something important.  It's like saying "here goes !"

He then explains why Michael is upset with Marc : "Michael est fâché contre Marc".  "Fâché contre" can mean "angry at", "upset with", "mad at".

Another equivalent French expression often used is "en vouloir à":

"Il en veut à Marc" (translates to something like "he has a grudge against him")

Another one is "ne pas être content après quelqu'un" :

"Il n'est pas content après Marc"  (literally he's not happy with him).  This expression is a bit weeker than the preceding one.

Note that "fâché" reflects an argument, a quarrel, whereas "en vouloir à" is more serious, often due to something bad that happened between the two persons.

The reason Michael is angry at Marc is :

"il a répété quelque chose que Michael lui avait confié"

Here, "confier quelque chose" means make a confidence, to share a secret with someone.  Note that "confier" also has other different uses, such as entrusting someone with something for example.

Grammar note :  Jean says "quelque chose que Michel lui avait confié" : he uses the plus-que-parfait tense because the action of sharing the secret ("il lui avait confié") is anterior to the action of unduly revealing it ("il a répété").

Jean adds "Ça a fait le tour de la ville !".  This spoken French idiomatic expression literally means "it went all around town" and means that everyone found out about it.

"Un divorce retentissant qui a fait le tour de la ville !"  (a resounding divorce everyone in town heard about)

Sophie is happy and relieved to finally understand the reason for Marc not being invited :

"Ah c'est pour ça !" (oh that's why !)

This phrase is used all the time by native speakers when they get the final word for something they were wondering about :

"Mais, tu as déplacé tous les meubles !" (But, you've moved all the furniture !) "Oui, je fais repeindre l'apartement." (yes, I'm having the apartment repainted) "Ah c'est pour ça ..."

If the reason for the event was particularly mysterious or obscure to you, you might say :

"Ah c'est donc pour ça !"  (oh, so that's why !)

Jean's concluding remark

At the end of our friendly conversation, Jean says to Sophie :

"En même temps, je comprends qu'il lui en veuille ! "

"En même temps" usually means "at the same time", but here it's used in a colloquial way to mean "in a way" or "on the other hand".  To clarify this, let me go back one notch in the conversation and rephrase it :

"Michael is mad at Marc because he told Marc's secret". "Oh, that's why he's upset !" "Yes, that's the reason.  In a way, I can understand why he'd get mad..."

The colloquial use of "en même temps" in everyday spoken French serves to evaluate something by weighing the pros and cons, or to compare alternatives :

"Il n'aurait pas dû frapper ce type."  (he shouldn't have hit the guy) "Oui mais en même temps, il l'a bien cherché !"  (yes but on the other hand he really asked for it)

Another example involving alternatives :

"Il vaut mieux qu'on prenne le train non ?" (it's better we take the train) "Bah, en même temps, c'est presque le même prix que l'avion"  (on the other hand, it costs almost the same as flying)

Jean says :

"je comprends qu'il lui en veuille"  (I can understand his bearing him a grudge)

Here he uses the expression "en vouloir à quelqu'un" we talked about earlier.   Note the verb "vouloir" is in subjunctive form after "je comprends que".  Examples :

"Je comprends que tu veuilles partir"

"je comprends que tu aies besoin d'argent"

In Jean's last sentence :

"Un ami qui ne sait pas garder un secret, ce n'est pas un ami, tu ne trouves pas ?"

he employs the expression "garder un secret" which literally translates to "to keep a secret" :

"Tu peux garder un secret ?"  (can you keep a secret ?)

"Il ne sait pas garder un secret"  (he can't keep a secret)

"C'est un secret bien gardé"  (it's a well-kept secret)

Notice he says "un ami qui ... , ce n'est pas un ami" instead of just saying " n'est pas un ami".  This is a way of emphasizing and reinforcing his statement about bad friendship. It's like saying :

"A friend who can't keep a secret, well that's not a friend!"

He adds "tu ne trouves pas ?" which means "don't you think ?" :

"Il fait chaud aujourd'hui tu ne trouves pas ?"

Of course, it's quite ironic he should conclude with a sentence like that, as everyone in this story has been revealing friends' secrets left and right !

Time to test yourself

As usual, let's see how well you've digested this article. Look at the following questions and select the best answer.  Just write your answers in the comments section below.

The correct answers will be published here once enough readers have added theirs.

If you want to get the correct answers sooner (and you're not a registered user) just write down your email address with your answers in the comments - I will delete your email right after sending you the answers (so your email doesn't stay on the page).

1) You ask a friend to tell you what someone said about something, but your friend says "j'ai promis de ne rien dire...". Which of the following is an appropriate response ?

A. Tu peux garder un secret ? B. Tu peux me le dire à moi ! C. Tu es une vraie pipelette

2) A friend tells you about a person pulling a bad trick on her. Which of the following might you ask ?

A. Tu lui en veux ? B. Elle est fâchée contre toi ? C. Il n'est pas content après eux ?

3) You share something with your friend, and she asks you "comment tu le sais ?" Which of the following is the most appropriate response ?

A. Ça reste entre Roger et moi B. Roger m'a fait promettre de ne rien dire C. Je l'ai appris par Roger

Good luck !

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Here are the answers to the quiz: 1) B : tu peux me le dire à moi! (to me you can say it!) 2) A : tu lui en veux? (are you mad at him/her?) 3) C : je l’ai appris par roger (I learned it through Roger)

What are the answers please?

Agreed, Doy! I think the analysis of each part of the conversation is super useful.

Thank you Doy, glad you found it useful 🙂

Thank you for this. Great lesson and very informative!

Comments are closed.

How To Say Friend In French (Audio Included)

By: Author David Issokson

Posted on Published: June 11, 2022  - Last updated: November 2, 2023

Friend in French is “ami(e)” (pronounced ah-mee). Another French word for friend is “copain/copine” . This post will examine how to pronounce ami and copain , explore their subtle differences and present some common expressions. Keep reading!

How to pronounce ami and copain

Before we go any further let’s have a look at how to pronounce the two French words for friend. The pronunciation of “ami” is ah-mee. The feminine form, “amie” has the exact same pronunciation.

un ami, une amie

The other word for friend, “copain” is a bit harder to pronounce. The “ain” letter combination sound like the nasal “in” in the word “inviter” (to invite) and is written with the pronunciation symbol “ɛ̃”.

un copain, une copine

1) “A friend” and “The friend”

In this section we’ll look at how to say “a friend” and “the friend” in French.

“A friend” is “un ami” or “une ami” (masculine and feminine forms). “Some friends” is “des amis” . Here are some example sentences:

J’ai un ami à Paris.

I have a (male) friend in Paris.

J’ai une amie en Suisse.

I have a (female) friend in Switzerland.

J’ai des amis à Montréal.

I have (some) friends in Montreal.

To say, “the friend” say “l’ami” and “l’amie” . The pronunciation is the same in both the masculine and feminine form. This is because “le” and “la” , the words for “the” both become l’ before a vowel. “The friends” in the plural form is “les amis” . Here are some example sentences:

L’ami de Sarah s’appelle Jean.

Sarah’s friend is named Jean.

L’amie de Sylvie s’appelle Julie.

Sylvie’s friend is named Julie.

Les amis de Marc habitent au Canada.

Marc’s friends live in Canada.

The is page on our site covers the definite articles (le, la, les) and indefinite articles (un, une, des) in detail.

In French, “my friend” in the masculine form is “mon ami” (pronounced mohn-amee). The feminine form of “my friend” is also “mon amie” . The “mon” in the feminine form is a kind of liaison . They are pronounced the exact same.

mon ami, mon amie

“My friends” in French is “mes amis” in the masculine form and “mes amies” in the feminine form. The pronunciation for both is the same: [mays-amee] . Here are some example sentences.

Thomas est mon ami. Thomas is my friend.

Sarah est mon amie aussi.

Sarah is also my friend.

Thomas et Sarah sont mes amis.

Thomas and Sarah are my friends.

2) Copain /copine – another to say friend in French

As mentioned above, the word “copain” in the masculine form and “copine” in the feminine form also mean friend in French. Generally speaking, the word “copain” is slightly less formal than “ami” . Thus, “un bon copain” could translate to “a good buddy” or “a good pal” .

Explained slightly differently, “ami” could refer to a more serious lifelong friend, whereas “copain” could a more casual friend or even a good acquaintance. Here are some example sentences:

J’ai un copain à Paris.

I have a friend in Paris.

Julie est une copine de Sarah.

Julie is Sarah’s friend.

Nous avons quelques copains à Londres.

We have a few friends in London.

3) Boyfriend and girlfriend in French

In French, the word for boyfriend is “un petit copain” , which translates literally to “a little friend”. The word for girlfriend is “une petite copine” . For example:

Marc est le petit ami de Julie.

Marc is Julie’s boyfriend.

Julie est la petite amie de Marc.

Julie is Marc’s girlfriend.

Interestingly, the meanings of “copain” and “copine” become boyfriend and girlfriend when proceeded by the possessive adjectives (mon and ma). Observe:

Marc est un copain.

Marc is a friend.

Marc est mon copain.

Marc is my boyfriend.

Sylvie est une copine.

Sylvie is a friend.

Sylvie est ma copine.

Sylvie is my girlfriend.

Ex boyfriend and ex girlfriend

In French to say ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, simply put “ex” before either petit ami/petite amie or copain/copine . You can also use the words ancien/ancienne . For example:

• Marc est l’ex petit ami de Julie. Marc is Julie’s ex-boyfriend.
• Julie est l’ancienne petite copine de Marc. Julie is Marc’s ex-girlfriend.

Boyfriend and girlfriend in French Canadian

In Quebec and the rest of French-speaking Canada, the word for boyfriend is “un chum” and girlfriend is “une blonde” . For example:

• Mon chum s’appelle Yves. My boyfriend’s name is Yves.
• Ma blond s’appelle Caroline. My girlfriend’s name is Caroline.

4) How to say pal and buddy

French has a fun word used to express “pal” or “buddy” : “un pote” . Pote also translates to “mate” and “bro”. For example:

Salut mon pote ! Ça va?

Hey buddy! How’s it going?

Friendship in French

The French word for “friendship” is “l’amitié” (pronounced amee-tee-ay; feminine noun).

amitié

• Notre amitié dure depuis le lycée. Our friendship has lasted since high school.

Expressions and more words containing friend in French

The following is a list of several expressions relating to the words “ami” in French or “friend” in English.

• C’est dans le besoin que l’on reconnaît ses amis. A friend in need is a friend indeed. The literal translation of this expression is: It’s in need that one recognizes his/her friends.
• Meilleur ami, meilleure amie best friend
• Ami(e) de cœur, ami(e) intime , ami(e) prohce close friend, bosom friend
• Ami cher, amie chère dear friend
• Ami(e) peu fiable fair-weather friend (literally an unreliable friend)
• Faux ami false cognate (A situation when a word is the same or almost the same in two different languages but have two unrelated meanings).
• Ami(e) de la famille family friend
• Ami (or compagnon à quatre pattes four-legged friend
• Bon ami, bonne amie a good friend
• Ami commun, amie commune mutual friend
• Vieil ami, vieille amie, ami(e) de longue date old friend

Congratulations! You now know how to say “friend” in French. Now check our our lessons covering how to say “ no problem ” and our list of family members vocabulary .

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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Thou Shalt Not Post the Ten Commandments in the Classroom

By David French

Opinion Columnist

There is a certain irony in the bravado about the Ten Commandments from Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana. On Saturday he told attendees at a Republican fund-raiser, “I can’t wait to be sued.” Clearly, he knows that the Supreme Court previously ruled against mandatory displays of the Ten Commandments in the classroom. In a 1980 case, Stone v. Graham , the Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law that required the posting of the Ten Commandments, purchased through private donations, in every public school classroom in the state.

A Louisiana law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public classroom in the state defies this precedent, so, yes, the state will be sued .

But Landry’s comments didn’t stop with bravado. He also said something else. “If you want to respect the rule of law,” he told the guests, “you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.” To teach respect for the rule of law, he’s defying the Supreme Court? That’s an interesting message to send to students.

It’s consistent with an emerging Republican approach to constitutional law. Just as many Republicans view their constituency as composed of the “real” Americans, they tend to believe their interpretation of the Constitution represents the “real” Constitution. So we’re seeing a flurry of culture-war-motivated state laws , many of them aimed at the First Amendment, that confront precedent.

The Dobbs decision gave some Republicans hope for radical change, but reversing Roe has not signaled open season on the court’s rulings. Republicans’ challenges to the Voting Rights Act failed , the independent state legislature theory foundered , and efforts to expand the standing doctrine to limit access to the abortion pill faltered. Even so, it’s premature to declare that the Supreme Court is frustrating the MAGA right.

Altering constitutional law is not the only motivation here; a version of Christian mysticism is also in play. There is a real belief that the Ten Commandments have a form of spiritual power over the hearts and minds of students and that posting the displays can change their lives.

I’m an evangelical Christian who believes in God and the divine inspiration of Scripture, but I do not believe that documents radiate powers of personal virtue. I happened to grow up in Kentucky and went to classes before the Ten Commandments were ordered removed, and I can testify that the displays had no impact on our lives. My classmates and I were not better people because of the faded posters on the walls.

David French is an Opinion columnist, writing about law, culture, religion and armed conflict. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a former constitutional litigator. His most recent book is “Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation .” You can follow him on Threads ( @davidfrenchjag ).

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Vogue world celebrates french style, olympics amid razzmatazz, as menswear season wraps up in paris.

Thomas Adamson

Associated Press

Diane Kruger poses for photographers upon arrival at the Vogue World event on Sunday, June 23, 2024 in Paris. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

PARIS – French singing star Aya Nakamura warbled. Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid rode horses. While Venus and Serena Williams and Katy Perry modeled on the cobbles. This was Paris' Place Vendome as never seen before.

On International Olympic Day, Vogue World took over the last day of Paris Fashion Week’s menswear collections with a show-cum-spectacle themed around the Olympics.

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The rare event blended athleticism, French fashion, and pure, unadulterated razzmatazz from the past century — marking 100 years since the last Games in Paris in 1924. The event also referred back to June 23, 1894, the day on which the founder of the modern Olympics, French nobleman Pierre de Coubertin, launched the International Olympic Committee.

Here are some highlights of collections Sunday:

Vogue World paints the town red (white and blue)

Matching different sports to different eras and styles, the high-octane collection extravaganza felt like a polished Broadway musical — with amazing clothes — as the sun set on Paris’ magnificent Place Vendome.

For the third Vogue World event, following a New York street fair in 2022 and a tribute to London’s theater scene in 2023, the show dovetailed with the Paris Games — celebrating all things French and runway. Fashion designs were showcased to a backdrop of tap dancing, pirouetting red-wine-holding waiters, and even models clutching baguettes.

Tracing a century, each decade was paired with a designer and style era. The ‘20s was cycling and featured white coats by designers such as Chanel and Schiaparelli. The ’30s was “track and field” by Balenciaga. The ‘40s, the era that gave the bikini to the world, featured “aquatics” by Jacquemus. The ’50s brought “equestrian” styles shown through the prism of the decade-defining New Look by Dior. The ‘60s was Courreges’ fencing looks.

By the time the ’70s came up with choreographed Givenchy-fueled “gymnastics,” some journalists had completely forgotten to keep taking notes, caught up in the intoxicating sight of the choreographed spectacle on the picturesque plaza, whose star-filled front row, including Pharrell Williams, rivaled even the stars that trod the boards (cobbles).

The ‘80s focused on martial arts and the ’90s on soccer, with a reinterpretation of late icon Azzedine Alaia's tricolor dress. Cheers rose when the Williams sisters appeared for the “tennis” section, Venus in a bold figure-hugging mermaid dress and Serena warrior-like in a black, utilitarian split gown.

The finale featured breakdancing. The atmosphere was electric, serving as an unofficial kickoff for the Paris Games, which will run from July 26 to Aug. 11.

Sacai's hybrid

Under the lofty ceiling of the historic La Poste du Louvre — Paris’ most emblematic Haussmannian post office that was recently renovated — Japanese it-brand Sacai held its latest collection. Designer Chitose Abe, renowned for her approach of “hybridization,” continued to merge disparate elements into singular, eye-catching pieces, making them look like one thing from the front and another from the back.

Twists were evident throughout the show. Pleats — as seen on white, red carpet tuxedo shirts — were creatively reimagined as billowing white floppy tubular skirts and white boho toggle tops. In darker colors, these off-kilter styles channeled a preppy look, complemented by sheeny leather loafers. Indeed, preppy and military details — Abe’s signatures — were on full display in the funky collection. White shirts, thick-rimmed spectacles, and pinstripes ticked the preppy box; while chunky round shoulders and thick layering ticked the military one.

The collection also highlighted Abe’s knack for blending the traditional with the modern. Denim, colorful patterns, and huggable knits provided a welcome touch of softness against the harder-lined silhouettes.

The art of the invitation

In an age dominated by email and heightened environmental awareness, the fashion industry’s antiquated system of invitations remains largely untouched.

Season after season, gasoline-guzzling couriers crisscross Paris, personally delivering elaborate, often handmade show invites. Top fashion houses compete for the most imaginative and wacky ideas, often hinting at the runway collection’s theme.

Pharrell Williams’ invitation for his UNESCO show was a Louis Vuitton embossed Apple AirTag, reminiscent of a royal mint memento. Loewe’s invite came as a giant colored leather square pocket, too large for any conventional letterbox. Dior Men’s opted for a leather pencil case, topped with a sketch of the collection's referenced artist and ceramicist, Hylton Nel. In contrast, Vogue World embraced eco-friendliness with a simple QR code sent via email.

Wooyoungmi's fusion of East and West

Madame Woo of Wooyoungmi is renowned for her fusion of Parisian — or European — elegance and Korean cultural heritage. The South Korean designer’s creations blend traditional elements from her homeland with a contemporary, open-minded view of culture. On Sunday, her show was a testament to this.

Leather Derby shoes were effortlessly paired with cropped Renaissance laced pants adorned with traditional decorative neck beading.

Other looks masterfully combined the rugged allure of the American Wild West with details like decorated belts and a perforated long coat, reminiscent of fashion-forward leather hide.

Madame Woo often transforms utilitarian basics into luxurious, tactile masterpieces, as seen in previous collections featuring lush blue velvet chore coats and fine brushed suede uniform jackets.

Cropped black leather biker pants and a Wooyoungmi logo-emblazoned baseball top on Sunday ensured that, despite the rich cultural references, eclecticism was the name of the game this spring.

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