entreprise
/ɑ̃.tʁə.pʁiz/feminine
In French, the English word 'business' is translated as entreprise.
The term entreprise refers to a commercial enterprise or establishment.
Meaning: commercial enterprise or establishment (noun)
Which one should you use?
While entreprise refers to the general concept of a business or enterprise, société is often used to refer specifically to the legal entity or corporation. If you are referring to the general activity of buying and selling or the retail sector, use commerce instead of entreprise.
How does it change in a sentence?
entreprise is a feminine noun, so it is preceded by the feminine articles la or une.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɑ̃.tʁə.pʁiz/.
Did you know?
- In French, the word entreprise can refer to a specific project or a daring venture, not just a company. For example, a secret mission or a risky plan can be called une entreprise.
- The word entreprise stems from the verb entreprendre, which means 'to undertake'.
- In a modern professional context, if you want to say 'to do business' with someone, you would not use faire une entreprise, but rather the expression faire des affaires.
Examples in context
- Notre entreprise se développe.Our business is expanding.This sentence is useful for talking about the expansion of an entreprise.Tatoeba #3625492 by sacredceltic, translation #3622867 by Hybrid
- L'entreprise est remise à flot.The business is afloat again.This sentence is useful for describing an entreprise that has recovered its financial stability.Tatoeba #12869181 by lbdx, translation #13063071 by AlanF_US
- Son entreprise croît rapidement.His business is growing rapidly.This sentence is useful for describing the rapid growth of an entreprise.Tatoeba #3645870 by sacredceltic, translation #286520 by CK
- J'ai démarré une entrepriseI started a business
- C'est un établissement réputéIt's a reputable business establishment
- Ma firme se spécialise dans la gestion des investissementsMy firm specializes in investment management
- 55 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are discussing a new professional project at a café.
- LéaTu veux lancer ton entreprise ?Do you want to start your business?
- LucasOui, cette entreprise me tient à cœur.Yes, this business is important to me.
- LéaC'est un beau projet, Lucas.It is a beautiful project, Lucas.
- LucasMerci, j'espère réussir.Thank you, I hope to succeed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “business” translations and entries entreprise, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries entreprise, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
