fiancé
/fjɑ̃.se/masculine
The English phrase "engaged" (in the sense of being agreed to be married) is translated into French as fiancé. Wiktionary also lists fiancée.
Meaning: agreed to be married (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fiancé | /fjɑ̃.se/ /fi.jɑ̃.se/ |
masculine |
| fiancée | /fjɑ̃.se/ /fi.jɑ̃.se/ |
feminine |
The term is used as an adjective to describe someone who has agreed to be married. While you may occasionally hear the construction fiancé avec, the most standard preposition to use when indicating a partner is à, as in fiancé à.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes based on the gender of the person being described: fiancé is the masculine form and fiancée is the feminine form used when the person who is engaged is a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
/fjɑ̃.se/
When do people say it?
When sharing news of an engagement, a polite expression to use is Je suis heureux/heureuse de vous annoncer… The common response to such an announcement is Félicitations!, to which one typically responds with Merci beaucoup!
Did you know?
- The word fiancé shares a linguistic root with the word 'finance', both stemming from the idea of a formal agreement or a 'pledge'.
- If you describe a person as being engagé, you are often describing them as an 'activist' or someone deeply involved in social issues.
- In a professional or military context, the word engagé means 'enlisted' or 'contracted', rather than being promised in marriage.
Examples in context
- Tom est fiancé à Ruth.Tom is engaged to Ruth.This sentence shows how to use fiancé to describe someone engaged to a partner.Tatoeba #6555328 by Odenim, translation #37376 by CN
- Il est fiancé à ma sœur.He is engaged to my sister.This sentence demonstrates the use of fiancé in relation to a sister.Tatoeba #497287 by sacredceltic, translation #497284 by blay_paul
- Je suis fiancé avec elle.I am engaged to her.This sentence illustrates an instance of using fiancé to describe a relationship status.Tatoeba #1314941 by sacredceltic, translation #261114 by CK
- Je suis fiancé(e) depuis un mois.I have been engaged for a month.
- Nous sommes fiancés depuis notre voyage en France.We have been engaged since our trip to France.
- On est fiancé(s) depuis un an maintenant.We've been engaged for a year now.
- Je me suis fiancé(e) à mon amour de lycée.I got engaged to my high school sweetheart.
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are chatting at a party.
- GabrielRegarde, Marc est enfin fiancé !Look, Marc is finally engaged!
- ChloéC'est vrai ? Je suis tellement contente pour lui.Really? I am so happy for him.
- GabrielOui, il est fiancé depuis hier.Yes, he has been engaged since yesterday.
- ChloéC'est merveilleux, Gabriel.That's wonderful, Gabriel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “engaged” translations and entries fiancé, fiancée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fiancé, fiancée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
