échanger
/e.ʃɑ̃.ʒe/
The French word for exchange is échanger.
échanger is used to describe the act of exchanging or trading items, such as currency or prisoners. It can also mean to replace an item with a similar one. In specific contexts, you will see Échange linguistique used for a language exchange and Échange d'étudiants for a student exchange. When you want to say you are exchanging one thing for another, use the construction échanger quelque chose contre quelque chose.
Meaning: act of exchanging or trading (noun)
Which one should you use?
While échanger is a general term for any kind of exchange, the verb troquer is used specifically when you are bartering or swapping items without using money.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
échanger is a regular -er verb.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /e.ʃɑ̃.ʒe/.
Did you know?
- The French word troquer for bartering is a linguistic relative of the English word 'truck', which originally meant to trade or barter goods.
- In the context of sports or professional settings, échanger is used to describe 'exchanging blows', or 'échanger des coups', which refers to a physical fight.
- The English word 'change' and the French verb échanger are distant linguistic cousins, both stemming from the same Latin root 'cambire'.
Examples in context
- Vous pouvez l'échanger avec une autre.You can exchange it for another one.This sentence shows how to use échanger to express exchanging one item for another.Tatoeba #11619569 by Aiji, translation #10335016 by CK
- Ils ont décidé d'échanger des prisonniers.They decided to exchange prisoners.This sentence demonstrates using échanger in the context of exchanging prisoners.Tatoeba #13277776 by lbdx, translation #2259553 by _undertoad
- Où puis-je échanger des yens contre des dollars ?Where can I exchange yen for dollars?This sentence illustrates how to use échanger when talking about exchanging currency.Tatoeba #1978173 by nimfeo, translation #38181 by CK
- Nous devons effectuer un échange d'informationsWe need to exchange information
- Nous avons réalisé un troc de compétencesWe conducted a skills exchange
- On peut échanger nos adresses emails ?Can we exchange email addresses?
- On s'est passé nos bouquins de lectureWe exchanged our reading books
- Je cherche un partenaire pour un échange linguistiqueI am looking for a partner for a language exchange
- Nous avons participé à un échange d'étudiants en FranceWe participated in a student exchange in France
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are discussing a gift they both received.
- NathanJe n'aime pas ce livre, on peut échanger ?I don't like this book, can we exchange?
- LéaOui, je préfère celui que tu as.Yes, I prefer the one you have.
- NathanD'accord, on va échanger nos cadeaux maintenant.Okay, let's exchange our gifts now.
- LéaMerci Nathan, je suis contente !Thank you Nathan, I am happy!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry échanger, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries échanger, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
