pression
/pʁɛ.sjɔ̃/
The English word pressure translates to the French noun pression.
pression is used to describe a contrasting force or impulse of any kind. This includes both physical pressure, such as air or blood pressure and abstract pressure, such as social or psychological pressure.
Meaning: a contrasting force or impulse of any kind (noun)
Which one should you use?
While pression covers both physical and abstract contexts, you might encounter other terms depending on the nuance. For example, la tension can convey the meaning of pressure, especially regarding emotional or psychological pressure.
How do you pronounce it?
pression is pronounced /pʁɛ.sjɔ̃/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In a French café, une pression refers specifically to a draught beer served from a tap rather than a bottle.
- While pression is used for psychological stress, the word tension specifically describes the 'voltage' or 'pressure' in an electrical circuit.
- French distinguishes between pression and contrainte, where the latter refers to a pressure that is more of a legal or formal obligation.
Examples in context
- Il a cédé à la pression.He yielded to pressure.This example shows how to use pression when someone yields to it.Tatoeba #10890069 by lbdx, translation #293491 by CM
- La pression était énorme.The pressure was tremendous.This example describes the scale of the pression.Tatoeba #11723829 by lbdx, translation #4494048 by CK
- C'est beaucoup de pression.That's a lot of pressure.This example demonstrates how to quantify the amount of pression.Tatoeba #11821586 by lbdx, translation #11821226 by ddnktr
- Je ressens beaucoup de pression au travail en ce moment.I'm feeling a lot of pressure at work right now.
- La contrainte financière limite notre capacité à réaliser ce projet.Financial pressure limits our ability to complete this project.
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are discussing a difficult project at work.
- EmmaJe ressens trop de pression ce mois-ci.I feel too much pressure this month.
- HugoJe comprends, Hugo est aussi stressé.I understand, Hugo is also stressed.
- EmmaOn doit gérer cette pression ensemble.We have to manage this pressure together.
- HugoOui, on va réussir, Emma.Yes, we will succeed, Emma.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pression, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
