correspondant
/kɔ.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.dɑ̃/
The English phrase penpal is translated into French as correspondant.
A correspondant is a person with whom one builds a friendship by exchanging letters or emails. You may see the phrase Cherche correspondant(e) français(e) used to mean 'Looking for a French penpal' or Cherche correspondant(e) anglophone to mean 'Looking for an English-speaking penpal'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on gender and number. Use the feminine form correspondante if the penpal is a woman. For plural forms, use correspondants for a group of male penpals or a mixed-gender group and use correspondantes if the group consists only of female penpals.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables and is pronounced /kɔ.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.dɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- French schools often organize correspondances where entire classes are paired with a sister school. Students are expected to write to their correspondant as part of their formal language curriculum.
- If you are reading a newspaper, your correspondant is likely a professional journalist or news reporter based in a specific location, rather than a friend you write to.
- While English uses 'pen' to denote the tool, the French correspondant focuses entirely on the act of 'correspondence', making the connection to the writing instrument invisible in the word itself.
Examples in context
- Je cherche un correspondant français.I'm looking for a French penpal.This example shows how to use correspondant when looking for a penpal.Tatoeba #474000 by sacredceltic, translation #466648 by CN
- Voici une lettre de notre correspondant à Pékin.Here's a letter from our penpal in Beijing.This example shows how to use correspondant when referring to a letter from a penpal.Tatoeba #3285084 by Dreamk33, translation #11676495 by tieguy
- Bonjour ! Je suis à la recherche d'un correspondant français. J'adore la France et j'aimerais en apprendre davantage sur votre culture. Ça vous intéresse ?Hello! I'm looking for a French penpal. I love France and would like to learn more about your culture. Are you interested?
- Mon correspondant m'écrit tous les mois.My penpal writes to me every month.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are talking about their hobbies at school.
- GabrielTu as un correspondant étranger ?Do you have a foreign penpal?
- ChloéOui, mon correspondant habite au Japon.Yes, my penpal lives in Japan.
- GabrielC'est génial, il est sympa ?That's great, is he nice?
- ChloéOui, il est très gentil avec moi.Yes, he is very kind to me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry correspondant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
