interprète
/ɛ̃.tɛʁ.pʁɛt/feminine, masculine
The French word for interpreter is interprète.
The word refers to one who interprets a language. You may also see the term dragoman used for a similar role.
Meaning: one who interprets a language (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word interprète is used for both masculine and feminine nouns. The gender is indicated by the article used before it, such as un or une.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɛ̃.tɛʁ.pʁɛt/.
Did you know?
- In French, interprète is a polysemous word used for both language translators and musical or theatrical performers. A singer performing a song is called an interprète because they are interpreting the composer's work.
- The term dragoman mentioned on the page comes from the Ottoman Turkish tercüman. In the 19th century, these were specialized interpreters who served as diplomats between the Ottoman Empire and European powers.
- The Latin root of interprète, interpres, did not originally mean 'to speak between' but was more closely related to the idea of a 'negotiator' or 'middleman' in trade.
Examples in context
- As-tu une interprète ?Do you have an interpreter?Tatoeba #5899565 by Aiji, translation #4657071 by AqQoyriq_1
- Tom fut leur interprète.Tom was their interpreter.Tatoeba #11740361 by Rovo, translation #11720470 by shekitten
- J'ai besoin d'un interprète.I need an interpreter.Tatoeba #1389755 by Aiji, translation #1389751 by CK
- Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous appeler un interprète, s'il vous plaît?Excuse me, could you please call an interpreter?
- Pouvez-vous demander à un traducteur de venir ici?Can you ask a translator to come here?
- Nous avons besoin de la présence d'une personne chargée de l'interprétation pour cet événement.We need the presence of an interpreter for this event.
- T'as besoin d'un interprète pour traduire ça?Do you need an interpreter to translate this?
- Bonjour, je recherche un interprète pour me traduire pendant ma présentation.Hello, I am looking for an interpreter to translate for me during my presentation.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas is asking Manon about a conference he is attending.
- ManonEst-ce que l'interprète parle anglais ?Does the interpreter speak English?
- LucasOui, elle est très compétente.Yes, she is very competent.
- ManonC'est une bonne nouvelle pour moi.That is good news for me.
- LucasTu vas bien comprendre la conférence.You will understand the conference well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “interpreter” translations and entries interprète, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries interprète, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
