enchanté
/ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/
In French, "nice to meet you" is expressed as enchanté.
enchanté is a polite expression used when meeting someone for the first time to indicate you are pleased to meet them. Other more formal ways to convey this sentiment include Ravi(e) de faire votre connaissance (Delighted to make your acquaintance) or Je suis heureux(se) de vous rencontrer (I am happy to meet you). In informal settings, you might say Ravi(e) de te rencontrer (Delighted to meet you) or Content(e) de t'avoir rencontré(e) (Happy to have met 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?
enchanté is a common way to say "nice to meet you" in formal contexts. To be even more formal, you can use the phrase Enchanté de faire votre connaissance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The spelling of the word changes based on the gender of the person speaking: use enchanté if the speaker is male and enchantée if the speaker is female.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɑ̃.ʃɑ̃.te/.
When do people say it?
When someone says enchanté to you, it is common to respond by simply saying enchanté back.
Did you know?
- In very old or highly formal literature, one might use enchanté to describe someone who has been placed under a magic spell, rather than just a polite greeting.
- In many French-speaking cultures, the physical gesture of a handshake or a slight nod of the head is expected to accompany enchanté to ensure the politeness is felt.
- Unlike English, where 'nice to meet you' is a full sentence, enchanté is a past participle acting as a shorthand for 'I am enchanted'.
Examples in context
- Je m’appelle Cyril. Enchanté !My name's Cyril. Nice to meet you.This sentence is useful for introducing yourself and using enchanté.Tatoeba #374027 by zmoo, translation #1346838 by CN
- Enchanté de te connaître, Ken.Nice to meet you, Ken.This sentence uses enchanté to express pleasure at meeting Ken.Tatoeba #2014131 by Amastan, translation #267038 by CP
- Enchanté de faire votre connaissance.Nice to meet you.This sentence provides a more formal way to say nice to meet you using 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'm Léa.
- HugoEnchanté, Léa.Nice to meet you, Léa.
- LéaTu es nouveau ici ?Are you new here?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry enchanté, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
