Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| profiter de | |
| jouir de | |
| prendre plaisir | /pʁɑ̃.dʁə plɛ.ziʁ/ /pʁɑ̃.dʁə ple.ziʁ/ |
profiter de is used when you want to make the most of or take advantage of an external circumstance or opportunity. prendre plaisir à is used to describe the internal sensation of finding enjoyment or pleasure in an activity. jouir de is used to mean possessing or enjoying certain rights, privileges or a specific state.
Which one should you use?
profiter de focuses on the external circumstance being enjoyed or the act of making the most of a resource. In contrast, prendre plaisir à describes the internal feeling of taking pleasure in an action. jouir de is a much more formal option used to describe the possession of something like a reputation or a legal right.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use profiter as a direct transitive verb (for example, saying profiter la vie), but in French, it almost always requires the preposition de (for example, profiter de la vie).
Did you know?
- While 'enjoying' a hobby in English is simple, using the French verb jouir to express pleasure can carry strong sexual connotations in modern spoken French, making it much riskier than its formal legal use.
- While profiter de means 'to enjoy', it can also mean 'to take advantage of' someone in a negative sense, such as exploiting a friend's kindness.
- The verb profiter shares a common root with the English word 'profit', which is why it carries a nuance of 'making the most of' or 'taking advantage of' an opportunity.
Examples in context
- J'aime profiter de la vie.I like to enjoy life.This sentence shows how to use profiter de to express enjoying life.Tatoeba #13927598 by zogwarg, translation #13927597 by zogwarg
- Je souhaite profiter de ce moment.I want to enjoy this moment.This sentence shows how to use profiter de to express enjoying a moment.Tatoeba #6930093 by Aiji, translation #5193555 by CK
- Tu ferais mieux de simplement profiter de la vie.You might as well just enjoy life.This sentence shows how to use profiter de when giving advice about enjoying life.Tatoeba #960146 by sacredceltic, translation #954775 by CK
- Au plaisir de vous accueillir chez nous ce soir. Profitez bien !Looking forward to hosting you tonight. Enjoy!
- Bonne soirée au concert ! Passez un bon moment avec les musiciens talentueux.Have a great evening at the concert! Enjoy your time with the talented musicians.
- Je vous souhaite un joyeux anniversaire. Amusez-vous bien lors de la fête !Wishing you a happy birthday. Have fun at the party!
- Je suis impatient de te voir. Profite bien de ton séjour en France !I'm thrilled to see you. Enjoy your stay in France!
- C'est ton anniversaire demain ! Éclate-toi bien et fais la fête jusqu'au bout de la nuit.It's your birthday tomorrow! Have a blast and party all night long.
- Je te souhaite une bonne excursion à la plage. Amuse-toi bien avec tes amis !I wish you a great beach outing. Have fun with your friends!
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “enjoy” translations and entries prendre plaisir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, jouir, plaisir, prendre, profiter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
