entreprise
/ɑ̃.tʁə.pʁiz/
In French, the word for company is entreprise.
The term entreprise is used in a non-legal context to refer to any business, regardless of how it is incorporated.
Meaning: in non-legal context, any business, without respect to incorporation (noun)
Which one should you use?
While entreprise refers to a business or entity in a general sense, société is the specific term used for a company when referring to it as a legally incorporated corporation. Additionally, compagnie is often used for large, traditional or international entities, such as a shipping company (compagnie maritime) or an airline (compagnie aérienne).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgian French, the word firme is often used to refer to a company.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of entreprise is formed by adding an s to the end, resulting in entreprises.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ɑ̃.tʁə.pʁiz/ and has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, you can describe a business as une jeune pousse, which literally translates to 'a young shoot' or 'a sprout'. This is the idiomatic term used for a startup company.
- The word entreprise is not just a business, but is actually the feminine past participle of the verb entreprendre, which means 'to undertake'.
- French speakers often refer to a corporate headquarters as le siège social, which literally means 'the social seat'. This uses the word 'seat' to denote the official legal residence of the company.
Examples in context
- Il a fondé l'entreprise.He founded the company.This sentence shows how to use entreprise to describe founding a company.Tatoeba #8008295 by Aiji, translation #4908370 by AlanF_US
- L'entreprise est en déficit.The company is in deficit.This sentence demonstrates using entreprise to describe a company in a deficit.Tatoeba #339632 by TRANG, translation #22420 by shekitten
- L'entreprise a fait faillite.The company went bankrupt.This sentence shows how to use entreprise when describing a company going bankrupt.Tatoeba #561863 by sacredceltic, translation #49044 by Scott
- Notre société est engagée dans la recherche médicale avancée.Our company is committed to advanced medical research.
- Mon frère travaille dans une boîte de publicité.My brother works in an advertising company.
- J'ai trouvé un boulot dans une petite boîte de graphisme.I found a job in a small graphic design company.
- 273 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking about their career paths in a cafe.
- ChloéTu veux travailler dans quelle entreprise ?In which company do you want to work?
- NathanJe cherche une petite entreprise familiale.I am looking for a small family company.
- ChloéCette entreprise est très réputée ici.This company is very reputable here.
- NathanC'est vrai, elle semble très sérieuse.It's true, it seems very serious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
