What does it mean word for word?
The word enchanté is the past participle of the verb enchanter, literally meaning "enchanted".
Which one should you use?
While enchanté is a common way to say "nice to meet you", other options exist depending on the level of formality. For more formal situations, you might use Ravi de faire votre connaissance ("delighted to make your acquaintance"), Je suis ravi de vous rencontrer ("I am delighted to meet you") or even the highly formal Permettez-moi de vous dire combien je suis honoré de vous rencontrer ("Allow me to express how honored I am to meet you"). For an informal tone using the familiar "tu", you can say Ravi de te rencontrer. Another variant is Très heureux(se) de faire votre connaissance, which means "Very happy to make your acquaintance".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
enchanté is a standard polite expression. However, using only enchanté can feel slightly abrupt in very formal settings. In those cases, it is better to use Ravi de faire votre connaissance.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, the word is spelled enchantée, though the pronunciation remains the same.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/ and consists of 3 syllables.
When do people say it?
When someone says enchanté, you can respond in casual situations with Enchanté(e) aussi (meaning "Nice to meet you too") or simply Moi aussi (meaning "Me too").
Did you know?
- The word enchanté is a linguistic relative of the English word 'enchantment', both deriving from the idea of being placed under a magic spell.
- In French, it is common to pair the greeting enchanté with a light handshake, but a formal bow of the head is occasionally still used in traditional professional settings.
- In very high-society or old-fashioned French circles, saying enchanté is sometimes viewed as too casual or a 'shortcut', and may be seen as lacking proper etiquette compared to full sentences.
Examples in context
- Enchanté, madame.Pleased to meet you, madam.
- Je suis enchanté de faire votre connaissance.I am delighted to make your acquaintance.
- Enchanté de vous rencontrer.Nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé meet for the first time at a party.
- LucasBonjour, je m'appelle Lucas.Hello, my name is Lucas.
- ChloéEnchantée, Lucas, moi c'est Chloé.Nice to meet you, Lucas, I'm Chloé.
- LucasEnchanté, Chloé.Pleased to meet you, Chloé.
- ChloéTu habites dans le quartier ?Do you live in the neighborhood?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry enchanté, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
