témoin
/te.mwɛ̃/masculine
The English phrase 'best man' is translated into French as témoin. Wiktionary also lists garçon d’honneur.
Meaning: primary attendant to the groom (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| témoin | /te.mwɛ̃/ | masculine |
| garçon d’honneur | masculine |
In a wedding context, témoin is the most common way to refer to the person who signs the marriage register. It is used to denote the primary attendant to the groom.
What does it mean word for word?
The word témoin literally means 'witness'.
Which one should you use?
While témoin is the standard term for the best man, it is also the general word for any legal witness. In contrast, garçon d’honneur typically refers to the groomsmen or attendants, whereas témoin refers specifically to the person acting as the official witness or best man.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In various French-speaking countries in Africa, the term témoin is used to refer to the best man.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of témoin is témoins.
How do you pronounce it?
/te.mwɛ̃/
Did you know?
- The word garçon in garçon d’honneur is a distant relative of the English word 'wretch'.
- In a French wedding, the témoin can be a woman, whereas the English 'best man' is traditionally male.
- While 'best man' is a singular role in English, a French wedding may have multiple témoins. In many civil ceremonies, it is common for the couple to choose two people to sign the register rather than just one.
Examples in context
- Est-ce que Tom va être ton témoin ?Is Tom going to be your best man?This sentence is useful for asking if someone will be a témoin.Tatoeba #11900804 by zogwarg, translation #11900718 by CK
- Nicolas sera mon témoin de mariage.Nicolas will be my best man.
- Jean est mon garçon d'honneur pour mon mariage.Jean is my best man for my wedding.
- Mon témoin m'aide énormément dans les préparatifs du mariage.My best man is helping me a lot with the wedding preparations.
- Mon frère sera mon témoin.My brother will be my best man.
- Il a choisi un témoin très drôle.He chose a very funny best man.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing wedding preparations.
- LucasAs-tu déjà choisi ton témoin ?Have you already chosen your best man?
- ManonOui, j'ai demandé à mon meilleur ami.Yes, I asked my best friend.
- LucasC'est un super choix pour être témoin.That's a great choice for a best man.
- ManonMerci, je suis sûre qu'il sera ravi.Thanks, I'm sure he will be delighted.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “best man” translations and entries témoin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries garçon, témoin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
