relais
/ʁə.lɛ/
The English word 'relay' can be expressed in French as relais.
relais is a noun used to refer to a relay, such as a relay race or a relay station.
Meaning: to pass on or transfer (information) (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word relais functions as a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ʁə.lɛ/. It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use relais as a verb. In French, relais is primarily a noun. To express the action of relaying information, you should typically use the verbs transmettre or relayer.
Did you know?
- In historical contexts, a relais was a specific place where horses were exchanged to speed up postal deliveries.
- French speakers use the phrase prendre le relais to mean 'taking over' a task, even if no physical object or information is being passed.
- In French, a relais can also refer to a specific type of rustic restaurant or guesthouse, often associated with the traditional 'Relais & Châteaux' luxury association.
Examples in context
- Lors d'une course de relais, le coureur doit passer le témoin.A runner must pass the baton in a relay race.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use relais in the context of a race.Tatoeba #3308816 by GB3, translation #29660 by Scott
- Tu me donnes le livre, et je te le repasse après ?Can you give me the book, and I'll pass it back to you later?
- Mon ami m'a demandé de te faire suivre cette invitation.My friend asked me to forward this invitation.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing a project at work.
- ManonLucas, as-tu reçu le dernier mail ?Lucas, did you receive the last email?
- LucasOui, je vais relais les détails au patron.Yes, I will relay the details to the boss.
- ManonC'est parfait, merci beaucoup.That's perfect, thank you very much.
- LucasDe rien, Manon, je m'en occupe.You're welcome, Manon, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry relais, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
