prison
/pʁi.zɔ̃/
The French word for jail is prison.
The word prison is used to refer to a place for confinement. If you are referring specifically to the small room within a jail, use cellule.
Meaning: place for short-term confinement (noun)
Which one should you use?
While English distinguishes between 'jail' (short-term) and 'prison' (long-term), the French word prison is used broadly for both concepts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express being inside the state of confinement, use the preposition en as in en prison.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of prison is /pʁi.zɔ̃/ and it has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying en la prison to mean 'in the jail'. Instead, use the idiomatic expression en prison.
Did you know?
- In French slang, a jail is often called la tôle, which literally translates to 'the sheet metal'.
- In French legal slang, being 'au trou' (in the hole) is a common way to say someone is in jail, similar to the English 'behind bars'.
- The word prison shares an unexpected root with the English word 'apprehension', as both stem from the Latin 'prehendere' meaning 'to grasp' or 'to seize'.
Examples in context
- Tom est en prison.Tom is in jail.Tatoeba #2354940 by Amastan, translation #2273231 by CK
- Je suis en prison.I'm in jail.Tatoeba #5554297 by sacredceltic, translation #2248036 by CK
- Il finira en prison.He will end up in jail.Tatoeba #431318 by qdii, translation #1744356 by belgavox
- L'accusé a été condamné à dix ans de prison.The defendant was sentenced to ten years in jail.
- Il est en détention provisoire à la maison d'arrêt en attendant son procès.He is in pretrial detention at the jail pending his trial.
- Le centre pénitentiaire a récemment été rénové pour améliorer les conditions de détention.The correctional facility has recently been renovated to improve detention conditions.
- Jean s'est retrouvé en taule après avoir été pris en flagrant délit.Jean ended up in jail after being caught red-handed.
- Le voleur a été jeté dans un cachot sombre pendant une semaine.The thief was thrown into a dark jail cell for a week.
- 110 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are discussing a crime drama on TV.
- LéaLe coupable est déjà en prison.The guilty man is already in jail.
- LucasC'est une prison très sécurisée.It is a very secure prison.
- LéaIl ne pourra pas s'échapper.He won't be able to escape.
- LucasJe l'espère pour la sécurité de tous.I hope so for everyone's safety.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry prison, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries prison, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
