Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ingénieur | /ɛ̃.ʒe.njœʁ/ | masculine |
| ingénieure | feminine |
The term refers to a person engaged in designing, constructing or maintaining engines or machinery or more generally to a person professionally engaged in or studying any branch of engineering. Specific specializations include ingénieur civil (civil engineer), ingénieur mécanique (mechanical engineer), ingénieur électrique (electrical engineer) and ingénieur en informatique (computer engineer).
Which one should you use?
Use the masculine form ingénieur when referring to a male engineer and the feminine form ingénieure when referring to a female engineer.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a male engineer, use the masculine article to say un ingénieur. When referring to a female engineer, use the feminine article to say une ingénieure.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɛ̃.ʒe.njœʁ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly include an indefinite article when stating a profession, such as saying Il est un ingénieur. In French, you should omit the article after the verb être and simply say Il est ingénieur.
Did you know?
- The word was once close to the Old French term for a 'deceiver', but the spelling was modified to ensure the profession was associated with cleverness rather than trickery.
- While English speakers use the word 'engineer' for many roles, in France, the title ingénieur diplômé carries a specific, prestigious legal status that requires a degree from a highly regulated 'Grande École'.
- While ingénieur refers to the professional, the French language uses the word génie to describe both the 'genius' of a person and the 'military engineering' corps.
Examples in context
- Mon frère est ingénieur.My brother is an engineer.This sentence uses ingénieur to identify a brother's profession.Tatoeba #464002 by sacredceltic, translation #250706 by CK
- Il est devenu ingénieur.He became an engineer.This sentence uses ingénieur to describe someone's career change.Tatoeba #11837813 by Amastan, translation #8373466 by Amastan
- Bob est devenu ingénieur.Bob became an engineer.This sentence uses ingénieur to describe Bob's career change.Tatoeba #2389564 by gillux, translation #33158 by saeb
- Elle est ingénieure en aérospatialeShe is an aerospace engineer
- Mon meilleur ami est ingénieur en logiciel.My best friend is a software engineer.
- Elle travaille comme ingénieure chimiste dans une grande entreprise.She works as a chemical engineer in a large company.
- Je suis technicien en génie civil.I am a civil engineering technician.
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing their career goals.
- GabrielJe veux être ingénieur plus tard.I want to be an engineer later.
- ChloéC'est super, Gabriel ! C'est difficile ?That's great, Gabriel! Is it difficult?
- GabrielOui, mais je suis passionné par ça.Yes, but I am passionate about it.
- ChloéTu seras un excellent ingénieur.You will be an excellent engineer.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “engineer” translations and entries ingénieur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ingénieur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
