ascenseur
/a.sɑ̃.sœʁ/
The English word "elevator" is ascenseur in French.
ascenseur refers to a machine that carries people or goods up and down between floors of a building.
Which one should you use?
While ascenseur is the general term for an elevator used for people, the specific term for a freight elevator used to transport goods is monte-charge.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the term ascenseur is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /a.sɑ̃.sœʁ/.
Did you know?
- In France, it is considered impolite to enter an ascenseur without greeting others with a bonjour, even if you are strangers.
- While ascenseur is standard, you might see ascenseur social used in news or politics to describe the idea of upward social mobility.
- When using an ascenseur in France, you will often see the ground floor marked as RDC for rez-de-chaussée rather than '0' or '1'.
Examples in context
- Où est l'ascenseur ?Where is the elevator?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the ascenseur.Tatoeba #492340 by sacredceltic, translation #65239 by CK
- Tom attend un ascenseur.Tom is waiting for an elevator.This sentence is useful for describing someone waiting for an ascenseur.Tatoeba #7096906 by pititnatole, translation #3431317 by CK
- Il n'y a pas d'ascenseur.There's no elevator.This sentence is useful for stating the absence of an ascenseur.Tatoeba #3648146 by sacredceltic, translation #2252656 by CK
- Excusez-moi, où est l'ascenseur s'il vous plaît?Excuse me, where is the elevator, please?
- Nous devons prendre l'ascenseur pour arriver à temps à notre réunion.We need to take the elevator to arrive on time for our meeting.
- L'ascenseur est en panne, on doit prendre les escaliers.The elevator is out of order, we have to take the stairs.
- 97 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are in a hotel lobby.
- GabrielOn prend l'ascenseur pour monter ?Shall we take the elevator to go up?
- EmmaOui, c'est plus rapide.Yes, it's faster.
- GabrielL'ascenseur arrive enfin.The elevator is finally arriving.
- EmmaEntrons, Emma.Let's go in, Emma.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ascenseur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
