perdant
/pɛʁ.dɑ̃/masculine
The French word for loser is perdant.
The term perdant refers to a person who fails to win. You can use the phrase un bon perdant specifically to describe someone who accepts defeat gracefully.
Meaning: person who fails to win (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, Canada, the English word Loser is commonly used and understood by French speakers.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is perdant. To refer to a female loser, use the feminine form perdante.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɛʁ.dɑ̃/ (2 syllables)
Did you know?
- If you want to say someone is a 'loser' in terms of being useless or pathetic, a common slang term used in France is nul, which comes from the Latin 'nullus' meaning 'none'.
- In many French-speaking contexts, calling someone a perdant can feel more childish than the English 'loser', often used to describe someone who has lost a game rather than a person's character.
- In Québec, the use of 'loser' is so integrated that it can be used as an adjective to describe a situation or an object, not just a person.
Examples in context
- Il est bon perdant.He is a good loser.This sentence shows how to describe someone who accepts defeat well using perdant.Tatoeba #132984 by Micsmithel, translation #301722 by CC
- Qui est le perdant ?Who's the loser?This sentence is a way to ask who the loser is using perdant.Tatoeba #5959505 by Aiji, translation #3738409 by CK
- Tu n'es pas un perdant.You're not a loser.This sentence uses perdant to tell someone they are not a loser.Tatoeba #6456018 by Aiji, translation #2548442 by CK
- Ce type est vraiment un zéro en matière de jeux vidéo.This guy is a total zero when it comes to video games.
- Mon ami est un vrai boulet, il ne peut jamais se débrouiller seul.My friend is such a drag, he can never manage on his own.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are playing a board game.
- EmmaJ'ai gagné la partie !I won the game!
- HugoC'est vrai, je suis le perdant.That's true, I am the loser.
- EmmaNe sois pas triste, Hugo.Don't be sad, Hugo.
- HugoJe n'aime pas être le perdant.I don't like being the loser.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “loser” translations and entries perdant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
