entraîneur
/ɑ̃.tʁɛ.nœʁ/
The English word "coach" translates to French as entraîneur.
entraîneur is a noun used to refer to a trainer or coach in various sports.
Meaning: trainer (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word entraîneur is derived from the verb entraîner, which means to train or to lead/drag along.
Which one should you use?
While entraîneur is the standard term, the English loanword coach is also frequently used in French, particularly in the context of sports or life coaching.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun changes based on gender. Un entraîneur refers to a male coach, while the feminine form is une entraîneuse.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃.tʁɛ.nœʁ/
Did you know?
- In French, calling someone une entraîneuse can be a risky mistake because the word is also a common slang term for a woman who lures clients to a brothel.
- In some French sports contexts, a head coach is called le sélectionneur if their primary job is choosing which players make the national team.
- Because it comes from the verb traîner, which can mean 'to drag' or 'to pull', the literal sense of entraîneur is someone who pulls or drags a person along toward a goal.
Examples in context
- Mon entraîneur m'a aidé.My coach helped me.This sentence shows how to use entraîneur to say someone helped you.Tatoeba #5424291 by sacredceltic, translation #5422647 by CK
- J'ai eu un bon entraîneur.I had a good coach.This sentence illustrates how to say you had a good coach using entraîneur.Tatoeba #2428591 by sacredceltic, translation #2331582 by CK
- Mon père était entraîneur.My dad was a coach.This sentence demonstrates using entraîneur to describe a former profession.Tatoeba #6083141 by Aiji, translation #4667166 by CK
- Mon entraîneur de football est très motivant.My football coach is very motivating.
- Elle est devenue une excellente monitrice de voile.She has become an excellent sailing instructor.
- J'ai un nouveau formateur qui m'aide à développer mes compétences en leadership.I have a new coach who is helping me develop my leadership skills.
- 44 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are talking about their sports club.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu aimes ton nouvel entraîneur ?Do you like your new coach?
- ChloéOui, il est très strict mais efficace.Yes, he is very strict but effective.
- GabrielC'est vrai, un bon entraîneur est essentiel.That's true, a good coach is essential.
- ChloéJe suis d'accord avec toi, Gabriel.I agree with you, Gabriel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry entraîneur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
