invité
/ɛ̃.vi.te/masculine
The French word for guest is invité. Wiktionary also lists hôte.
Meaning: recipient of hospitality (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| invité | /ɛ̃.vi.te/ | masculine |
| hôte | /ot/ | feminine, masculine |
The term is used to describe a recipient of hospitality.
Which one should you use?
invité specifically refers to the person being invited. In contrast, hôte is a contronym that can mean either the host or the guest depending on the context, which can make it ambiguous.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word invité changes based on gender and number. Use invitée to refer to a single female guest by adding an extra e to the end. For a group of only female guests, use the feminine plural form invitées. To refer to guests in the masculine plural, use invités.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɛ̃.vi.te/.
Did you know?
- The term hôte shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'guest' and even the word 'hostile'. This stems from the Proto-Indo-European root gʰóstis, which originally described a person with whom one has a reciprocal relationship, whether as a friend or an enemy.
- While invité is used for a guest, the phrase faire honneur is often used when a guest brings prestige to a home.
- In biological terms, French uses hôte to describe a symbiotic host organism, mirroring the linguistic duality of the word.
Examples in context
- Tu as un invité.You have a guest.This sentence is useful for stating that someone has a guest.Tatoeba #7763117 by sacredceltic, translation #2549196 by CK
- Sois mon invité !Be my guest!This sentence is useful for the expression 'Be my guest!'Tatoeba #938669 by sacredceltic, translation #938682 by sacredceltic
- Tom est un invité.Tom is a guest.This sentence is useful for identifying a specific person as a guest.Tatoeba #3375046 by GB3, translation #1868238 by CK
- Nous avons de nombreux invités ce soir.We have many guests tonight.
- Nos invités ont apprécié la soirée.Our guests enjoyed the evening.
- Les convives ont été enchantés par la cuisine française.The guests were delighted by the French cuisine.
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are preparing for a dinner party.
- HugoEst-ce que l'invité est arrivé ?Has the guest arrived?
- EmmaNon, il sera là à dix-neuf heures.No, he will be here at seven p.m.
- HugoJe vais préparer une place pour l'invité.I am going to set a place for the guest.
- EmmaC'est parfait, merci Hugo.That's perfect, thank you Hugo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guest” translations and entries invité, hôte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hôte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
