contact
/kɔ̃.takt/masculine
The French word for 'contact' (an establishment of communication) is contact.
The noun contact refers to the establishment of communication. It is related to the verb contacter, which means to establish communication with someone and the verb toucher, which refers to the physical act of touching.
Meaning: an establishment of communication (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use contacter when you want to express the act of establishing communication with a person, whereas toucher is specifically used for physical touch.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun contact is masculine, meaning you should use it with the masculine articles un or le.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables: /kɔ̃.takt/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the noun contact as a verb. In French, you must use the transitive verb contacter when you mean to reach out to someone.
Did you know?
- If you are talking about 'contact lenses', you can simply say lentilles, as the word for 'lentils' also serves as the shorthand for the medical lenses.
- The word contact is used in French to describe the ignition of a car. To 'turn the ignition' is to mettre le contact.
- While contact means communication, the related verb toucher is used when someone is 'moved' or 'touched' emotionally by a gesture or a story.
Examples in context
- Peux-tu contacter Tom ?Can you contact Tom?This sentence is useful for practicing the verb contacter.Tatoeba #7856454 by Rockaround, translation #2261182 by CK
- J'ai essayé de le contacter.I've tried to contact him.Tatoeba #11803110 by lbdx, translation #3918692 by CH
- Il a essayé de la contacter.He tried to contact her.Tatoeba #11954563 by lbdx, translation #8521370 by CH
- Vous pouvez me contacter par email ou par téléphone.You can contact me by email or phone.
- Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez contacter notre service clientèle.For more information, please contact our customer service.
- Tu peux me joindre par texto ce soir ?Can you contact me by text tonight?
- N'hésite pas à me contacter si tu as des questions.Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
- J'ai essayé d'entrer en communication avec elle, mais elle ne répondait pas.I tried to contact her, but she wasn't responding.
- Je vais prendre contact avec le responsable pour fixer une réunion.I will contact the manager to schedule a meeting.
- 120 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a potential business lead.
- GabrielAs-tu eu un contact avec le client ?Did you have contact with the client?
- ChloéNon, j'attends toujours son appel.No, I am still waiting for his call.
- GabrielTu devrais essayer de le joindre.You should try to reach him.
- ChloéJe vais essayer dès demain.I will try starting tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “contact” translations and entries contact, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
