m'a contacté
The English phrase 'contacted me' is translated into French as m'a contacté.
m'a contacté(e) is a straightforward translation of 'contacted me'. Depending on the context, you might also use m'a joint(e) to express contacting someone or m'a appelé(e) to indicate they reached out. If you want to convey the idea of someone getting in touch to provide an update, you can use the expression m'a donné des nouvelles, which translates to 'gave me news'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase m'a contacté is composed of m' (me), a (has) and contacté (contacted).
Which one should you use?
While m'a contacté is common in professional contexts, m'a appelé (called me) is often used more colloquially for any form of contact via phone.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the subject is plural (e.g., 'They contacted me'), the auxiliary verb changes from 'a' to m'ont contacté(e).
Did you know?
- French uses a specific grammar rule called agreement for the phrase m'a contacté(e). If the person being contacted is female, an extra 'e' must be added to the end of the verb because the object 'me' comes before the verb.
- In professional French, using contacté can sometimes feel like an anglicism. Purists often prefer pris contact avec moi to avoid the direct influence of the English 'contacted'.
- If you want to sound more natural when someone reached out to you via phone, saying il m'a passé un coup de fil is a very common idiomatic way to say 'he gave me a ring'.
Examples in context
- Personne ne m'a contacté.Nobody contacted me.Tatoeba #5783245 by Aiji, translation #4667117 by CK
- Ziri m'a contacté.Ziri contacted me.Tatoeba #13853879 by cathorne, translation #10234823 by Amastan
- Mon collègue m'a contacté(e) pour discuter du projetMy colleague contacted me to discuss the project
- Notre avocat m'a joint(e) pour finaliser le contratOur lawyer contacted me to finalize the contract
- Le directeur m'a appelé(e) au sujet de notre réunionThe manager contacted me regarding our meeting
- Mon ami m'a contacté(e) pour sortir ce soirMy friend contacted me to go out tonight
- Mon cousin m'a donné des nouvelles après son voyageMy cousin contacted me after his trip
- Le directeur m'a contacté ce matin.The director contacted me this morning.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing a job application.
- NathanL'entreprise m'a contacté pour un entretien.The company contacted me for an interview.
- ChloéC'est super, Nathan !That's great, Nathan!
- NathanOui, je suis très content.Yes, I am very happy.
- ChloéBonne chance pour ton rendez-vous.Good luck with your appointment.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
