arrière-grand-père
The English phrase 'great grandpa' is translated into French as arrière-grand-père.
The phrase refers to the father of one's grandparent.
Which one should you use?
arrière-papy and arrière-grand-papa are used in more casual or affectionate contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
arrière-grand-père is a formal term.
Did you know?
- The word arrière also appears in the term arrière-pensée, which means a 'hidden motive' or a 'second thought' lurking behind a stated intention.
- While grand-père means 'grandfather', the prefix arrière- actually means 'back' or 'behind'. To a French speaker, a great-grandfather is literally a 'back-grandfather'.
- A person can be an arrière-grand-père to a child while being a grand-père to someone else in the same room, but the French language often uses the term aïeul in formal writing to cover any distant ancestor.
Examples in context
- J'ai récemment découvert une vieille photo de mon arrière-grand-père.I recently discovered an old photo of my great grandpa.
- Mon arrière-grand-père était très gentil.My great-grandpa was very kind.
- Est-ce que ton arrière-grand-père habite ici ?Does your great-grandpa live here?
- Je cherche une photo de mon arrière-grand-père.I am looking for a photo of my great-grandpa.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at an old photo album in a living room.
- ManonRegarde cette photo de mon arrière-grand-père.Look at this photo of my great-grandpa.
- GabrielIl a l'air très sérieux, ton arrière-grand-père.Your great-grandpa looks very serious.
- ManonOui, mais il était très drôle aussi.Yes, but he was very funny too.
- GabrielC'est une belle photo de famille.It is a beautiful family photo.
