Enchanté
/ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/
In French, "nice to meet you" is expressed as Enchanté.
Enchanté is a common way to say nice to meet you in a formal context. You might also use Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer to say pleased to meet you in a formal and polite manner, or Je suis heureux/heureuse de vous rencontrer to say I am happy to meet you. In informal settings, you can use Ravi(e) de te rencontrer, Content(e) de faire ta connaissance to mean glad to make your acquaintance or Super heureux/heureuse de te rencontrer to say super happy to meet you.
What does it mean word for word?
The word enchanté literally means enchanted or delighted.
Which one should you use?
Enchanté is a shortened, more common version of the phrase, whereas Enchanté de faire votre connaissance is the more formal, complete sentence.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While Enchanté is polite, it is often used as a quick, standard greeting in both social and professional settings. It is considered informal/neutral. In contrast, Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer and Je suis heureux/heureuse de vous rencontrer are formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, the word is spelled with an extra 'e' at the end: enchantée.
Did you know?
- The word 'ravi' in 'ravi de vous rencontrer' comes from the verb 'ravir', which can also mean 'to kidnap' or 'to snatch away'. It implies being 'snatched away' by joy.
- In Quebec, you are more likely to hear ravi de vous rencontrer or content de vous voir than enchanté, which is seen as more typical of France.
- The term 'connaissance', found in the phrase 'faire votre connaissance', is also the word for 'knowledge' or 'acquaintance' in a general sense. It implies you are adding the person to your circle of known things.
Examples in context
- Je m’appelle Cyril. Enchanté !My name's Cyril. Nice to meet you.This sentence shows how to introduce yourself and use Enchanté.Tatoeba #374027 by zmoo, translation #1346838 by CN
- Enchanté de te connaître, Ken.Nice to meet you, Ken.This sentence shows the use of Enchanté when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #2014131 by Amastan, translation #267038 by CP
- Enchanté de faire votre connaissance.Nice to meet you.This sentence shows the more formal version using Enchanté.Tatoeba #1998088 by Rovo, translation #499617 by Shishir
- Enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissanceNice to meet you
- Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer. J'ai beaucoup entendu parler de vousPleased to meet you. I have heard a lot about you
- Ravi(e) de te rencontrer. Tu as l'air vraiment sympaNice to meet you. You seem really nice
- Content(e) de faire ta connaissance. On devrait aller prendre un café un de ces joursGlad to make your acquaintance. We should grab a coffee sometime
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are meeting for the first time at a party.
- LéaBonjour, je m'appelle Léa.Hello, my name is Léa.
- NathanMoi, c'est Nathan. Enchanté !I'm Nathan. Nice to meet you!
- LéaEnchantée, Nathan.Nice to meet you, Nathan.
- NathanTu passes une bonne soirée ?Are you having a good evening?
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry enchanté.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
