facteur
/fak.tœʁ/
The French word for postman is facteur.
In official or bureaucratic contexts, you may encounter the more formal and descriptive phrase agent de distribution de courrier.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of facteur is la factrice.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /fak.tœʁ/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word facteur can refer to an organist or a person who builds musical instruments like organs.
- The word facteur shares the same Latin root as the English word 'factory', because both come from the idea of a 'maker' or 'doer'.
- In traditional French rural culture, the facteur was often one of the few people who visited remote villages daily, making them vital social hubs and messengers.
Examples in context
- Le facteur est-il déjà passé ?Has the postman been yet?This sentence is useful for asking if the facteur has arrived.Tatoeba #942014 by sacredceltic, translation #324536 by sundown
- Le facteur a été mordu par ce chien.The postman was bitten by that dog.This sentence shows an instance where a facteur was bitten by a dog.Tatoeba #541205 by sacredceltic, translation #324560 by CM
- Le facteur vide la boîte aux lettres.The postman is emptying the postbox.This sentence describes a facteur emptying a postbox.Tatoeba #1594815 by Petrus, translation #10993824 by sundown
- Chaque matin, le facteur livre le courrier dans ma boîte aux lettres.Every morning, the postman delivers mail to my mailbox.
- L'agent de distribution de courrier a la responsabilité de livrer le courrier dans la région.The postman is responsible for delivering mail in the area.
- Hier, j'ai rencontré mon facteur préféré à la poste.Yesterday, I met my favorite postman at the post office.
- Mon voisin est un postier très sympathique.My neighbor is a very friendly postman.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are looking out the window at the street.
- GabrielRegarde, le facteur arrive avec un colis.Look, the postman is coming with a package.
- EmmaC'est sûrement mon nouveau livre !It's probably my new book!
- GabrielEst-ce que le facteur a sonné ?Did the postman ring the bell?
- EmmaNon, il a juste laissé le paquet.No, he just left the package.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry facteur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries facteur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
