How to Say "Main Character" in French

personnage principal

The English phrase "main character" is personnage principal in French.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of personnage, meaning "character" and principal, meaning "main" or "principal".

When making this phrase plural, the adjective follows an irregular masculine plural form: personnages principaux.

In modern French internet slang, the English term 'main character' is used as a loanword to describe 'main character energy', which refers to someone acting as if they are the center of the universe.
While personnage principal is the standard term, a more colloquial way to refer to the protagonist of a story is le héros or l'héroïne, even if the character is not a literal hero.
French uses the word personnage to refer to both a fictional character in a book and a 'character' in the sense of a notable or eccentric real-life personality.

Tom est le personnage principal.
Tom is the main character.
This sentence is useful for identifying a specific person as the main character.
Tatoeba #5689525 by Yemana, translation #5446753 by CK
Le personnage principal meurt à la fin du livre.
The main character dies at the end of the book.
This sentence shows how to describe a plot point involving the main character.
Tatoeba #5206260 by davidcfres, translation #5205523 by AlanF_US
Il y avait un prototype pour le personnage principal.
There was a prototype for the main character.
This sentence demonstrates using the term when discussing character development or design.
Tatoeba #11058288 by Aiji, translation #10770490 by AlanF_US
Dans son dernier roman, l'auteur met en scène un personnage principal complexe et fascinant.
In his latest novel, the author depicts a complex and captivating main character.
Le protagoniste de cette pièce de théâtre est un jeune homme en quête d'aventure.
The main character of this play is a young man in search of adventure.
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Emma and Lucas are discussing a movie they just watched.

Sources

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