pitié
/pi.tje/
In French, the word for mercy is pitié.
pitié is used to express compassion or forgiveness. To say you have mercy on someone, you use the phrase avoir pitié de quelqu'un, which employs the verb avoir (to have) and the preposition de. The related adjective for this concept is pitoyable, meaning pitiful.
Meaning: forgiveness or compassion (noun)
Which one should you use?
While pitié can mean mercy in dramatic or religious settings, in everyday French it most commonly translates to 'pity' and often carries a sense of condescending sympathy.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing the act of having mercy on a person, the preposition de must follow pitié.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /pi.tje/.
Did you know?
- While pitié means 'mercy', the common French expression for 'thank you' is merci. Although they sound similar in English, these two French words are completely unrelated in origin.
- The word pitié is a linguistic doublet of piété, which means 'piety'. While they share the same Latin root, they split in Old French to describe two different feelings: one for others and one for God.
- In a high-stakes or religious setting, 'mercy' might be expressed through the word miséricorde rather than pitié, as the latter feels too much like common pity.
Examples in context
- Ayez pitié de moi !Have mercy on me!This sentence shows how to use pitié to ask for mercy.Tatoeba #7943 by RaspaKrusto, translation #1640717 by kerbear407
- Je suis sans pitié.I have no mercy.This sentence demonstrates how to express having no pitié.Tatoeba #8537537 by Aiji, translation #12838921 by Orange
- N'espère aucune pitié !Expect no mercy.This sentence illustrates how to state that one should expect no pitié.Tatoeba #3647325 by sacredceltic, translation #2245486 by CK
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are discussing a harsh judge in a film.
- ManonCe juge n'a aucune pitié.This judge has no mercy.
- GabrielC'est vrai, il est très sévère.It's true, he is very severe.
- ManonIl ne montre aucune pitié aux accusés.He shows no mercy to the defendants.
- GabrielGabriel, tu es trop sensible pour ce film.Gabriel, you are too sensitive for this movie.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pitié, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pitié, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
