arrêté
/a.ʁɛ.te/
The English word 'arrested' is translated into French as arrêté.
The term is used as an adjective to describe someone who has been placed under arrest. If you need to refer to the noun 'an arrest', you would use un arrêt.
Meaning: having been placed under arrest (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, arrêté must agree in gender and number with the person being arrested. Use arrêtée for a woman (feminine singular), arrêtés for a group of men or a mixed-gender group (masculine plural) and arrêtées for a group consisting only of women (feminine plural).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /a.ʁɛ.te/.
Did you know?
- You might encounter un arrêt de travail, which sounds like a legal 'arrest order' but is actually a common term for a 'sick note' or 'medical leave' from a job.
- When describing a heart or a clock, arrêté means that the object has 'stopped' rather than being seized by authorities.
- An arrêté can be a formal administrative decree issued by a mayor or government minister, though it is spelled exactly like the word for 'arrested'.
Examples in context
- Tom a été arrêté.Tom got arrested.Tatoeba #2388329 by Amastan, translation #2236310 by CK
- Elle a été arrêtée.She was arrested.Tatoeba #2388332 by Amastan, translation #3105124 by Theocracy
- Ils ont été arrêtés.They've been arrested.Tatoeba #2388348 by Amastan, translation #2243716 by CK
- Il a été arrêté par la policeHe was arrested by the police.
- Le suspect a été interpellé par les autoritésThe suspect was apprehended by the authorities.
- Il s'est fait arrêter par la policeHe got arrested by the police.
- Il s'est fait pincer par la police en train de volerHe got caught by the police while stealing.
- Oui, il a été arrêté par la police.Yes, he was arrested by the police.
- Oui, il s'est fait arrêter par la police hier soir !Yes, he got arrested by the police last night!
- 157 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are discussing a news report.
- GabrielTu as vu ? Le voleur a été arrêté.Did you see? The thief has been arrested.
- EmmaC'est vrai ? Il était arrêté depuis longtemps ?Really? Had he been arrested for long?
- GabrielNon, il vient juste d'être arrêté.No, he has just been arrested.
- EmmaC'est une bonne nouvelle pour le quartier.That is good news for the neighborhood.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry arrêté, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
