coup de foudre
/ku d(ə) fudʁ/
The English phrase 'love at first sight' is translated into French as coup de foudre.
The phrase coup de foudre is used to describe a feeling of immediate and strong romantic attraction to someone the moment you see them. It captures both the suddenness of the feeling and the intense nature of the attraction.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, coup de foudre translates to 'a bolt of lightning'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ku d(ə) fudʁ/
Did you know?
- Beyond romance, coup de foudre can describe a sudden, intense passion for a non-human object, such as a piece of art or a new city.
- The word coup in coup de foudre shares a root with the Ancient Greek word kólaphos, which referred to a blow with the palm of the hand.
Examples in context
- C’était un coup de foudre.It was love at first sight.This sentence shows how to identify a specific instance of love at first sight using coup de foudre.Tatoeba #3412813 by Danquebec, translation #456157 by lukaszpp
- Je crois au coup de foudre.I believe in love at first sight.This sentence expresses a personal belief in the concept of coup de foudre.Tatoeba #11145747 by lbdx, translation #5888208 by mailohilohi
- Crois-tu au coup de foudre ?Do you believe in love at first sight?This sentence is a way to ask someone if they believe in coup de foudre.Tatoeba #955126 by sacredceltic, translation #953184 by CK
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are talking about how they met their partners.
- ChloéComment as-tu rencontré ton mari ?How did you meet your husband?
- LucasPour nous, ça a été le coup de foudre.For us, it was love at first sight.
- ChloéC'est tellement romantique !That is so romantic!
- LucasOui, je l'ai aimé dès la première seconde.Yes, I loved him from the first second.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry coup de foudre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coup, coup de foudre, de, foudre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
