le dernier mais non le moindre
The English phrase "last but not least" is translated into French as le dernier mais non le moindre.
This expression is used as an adverbial phrase to introduce the final item in a list.
Meaning: An expression to start the last item of a list (adv)
Did you know?
- The word mais is derived from the Latin magis, which originally meant 'more' rather than 'but'.
- French uses moindre for abstract value and plus petit for physical size, whereas English often uses 'less' or 'smaller' interchangeably.
- While le dernier mais non le moindre is a literal translation, French speakers often use the phrase et enfin or pour finir in casual conversation to avoid the formality of the full expression.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais remercier tous les participants pour leur excellent travail. Enfin et surtout, je tiens à féliciter notre équipe technique.I would like to thank all the participants for their excellent work. Last but not least, I want to congratulate our technical team.
Example conversation
Nathan is introducing his team to Chloé.
- NathanVoici Julie, Marc, et le dernier mais non le moindre, Paul.This is Julie, Marc, and last but not least, Paul.
- ChloéEnchantée de vous rencontrer tous.Nice to meet you all.
- NathanPaul s'occupe de la logistique.Paul takes care of the logistics.
- ChloéC'est super, merci Nathan.That's great, thank you Nathan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “last but not least” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dernier, le, mais, moindre, non, CC BY-SA 4.0.
