Enchanté
/ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/
The English phrase "nice to meet you" translates to French as Enchanté.
Enchanté is used to express pleasure in meeting someone for the first time and is typically used immediately after being introduced to someone. For more formal situations, you can use the phrase Ravi de vous rencontrer, which means "Delighted to meet you" or C'est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance, meaning "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance". In informal settings, you might say Content de te rencontrer, which translates to "Happy to meet you".
What does it mean word for word?
The word Enchanté literally means "enchanted" or "delighted".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can use Enchanté de faire votre connaissance as a more formal and complete way to say 'nice to meet you' than the single word Enchanté. Ravi de vous rencontrer and C'est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance are also formal expressions. Conversely, Content de te rencontrer is an informal phrase that translates to "Happy to meet you".
How does it change in a sentence?
If the person speaking is female, the word is spelled with an extra 'e' at the end: Enchantée.
Did you know?
- In very high-society French circles, using Enchanté can sometimes be seen as slightly too casual or abrupt. In strictly aristocratic etiquette, one might prefer the longer Je suis ravi de faire votre connaissance.
- The term Ravi in Ravi de vous rencontrer does not mean 'ravaged' or 'robbed' as it might in English-adjacent contexts, but refers to being 'carried away' by joy.
- In France, saying Enchanté is often accompanied by a firm handshake and direct eye contact, but avoid over-enthusiastic gesturing which can seem unnatural.
Examples in context
- Je m’appelle Cyril. Enchanté !My name's Cyril. Nice to meet you.This sentence shows how to use Enchanté when introducing yourself.Tatoeba #374027 by zmoo, translation #1346838 by CN
- Enchanté de te connaître, Ken.Nice to meet you, Ken.This sentence uses Enchanté to say nice to meet someone.Tatoeba #2014131 by Amastan, translation #267038 by CP
- Enchanté de faire votre connaissance.Nice to meet you.This sentence uses a more formal version of the phrase with Enchanté.Tatoeba #1998088 by Rovo, translation #499617 by Shishir
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are meeting for the first time at a party.
- HugoBonjour, je suis Hugo.Hello, I am Hugo.
- LéaEnchantée, moi c'est Léa.Nice to meet you, I am Léa.
- HugoEnchanté, Léa.Nice to meet you, Léa.
- LéaTu habites ici ?Do you live here?
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry enchanté.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
