position
/po.zi.sjɔ̃/feminine
The English word 'position' can be translated into French as position or place.
Meaning: place, location (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| position | /po.zi.sjɔ̃/ | feminine |
| place | /plas/ | feminine |
The feminine nouns position and place refer to a place or location. When referring to a job or employment, you may use the masculine nouns un poste or un emploi.
Which one should you use?
While both words can refer to a position, place is often used idiomatically to describe one's perspective or social standing, such as in the phrase à ma place, meaning 'in my position' or 'in my shoes'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural forms are positions for position and places for place. The noun poste is masculine, as in un poste and the noun emploi is also masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
The word position is pronounced /po.zi.sjɔ̃/ and consists of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word poste can refer to a job position, but it also means 'post office' or a 'radio/television station' depending on the context.
- The French word place descends from the Ancient Greek word plateîa, which referred to a broad way or a wide street.
- The French word place is a 'false friend' because it often means 'room' or 'space'. If a French speaker says il n'y a plus de place, they are saying there is no more room, not that there are no more locations.
Examples in context
- Reste en position !Hold your position.Tatoeba #1852896 by sacredceltic, translation #1852272 by CK
- Mets-toi à ma place.Put yourself in my position.Tatoeba #465200 by sacredceltic, translation #61464 by CK
- Tom est en position.Tom is in position.Tatoeba #8730431 by Julien_PDC, translation #2273236 by CK
- Je postule pour un poste de directeurI'm applying for a director position
- Quelle est votre fonction au sein de l'entreprise?What is your position within the company?
- Ce poste nécessite une expérience préalableThis position requires previous experience
- J'ai trouvé un taf dans une boîte de designI found a job in a design company
- Il occupe un poste de directeur dans une grande entreprise.He holds a director position in a large company.
- Quelle est ta fonction au sein de l'équipe?What is your position within the team?
- Mon frère a décroché un boulot intéressant dans une start-up.My brother landed an interesting job in a start-up.
- 70 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are looking for a lost item on a map.
- LéaQuelle est ta position exacte ?What is your exact position?
- LucasJe suis juste devant le musée.I am right in front of the museum.
- LéaJe ne vois pas ta position ici.I don't see your position here.
- LucasRegarde encore une fois, Léa.Look one more time, Léa.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “position” translations and entries position, place, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries place, position, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
