Which one should you use?
The word 'réunion' refers to a meeting or a gathering, whereas the English word 'reunion' often implies a social gathering of people who have not seen each other for a long time (like a family reunion). In French, réunion is most commonly used for professional or formal meetings. If you are referring to the emotional event of reuniting with someone after a long time, the word retrouvailles is more natural and emphasizes the joy of reunions and reconnecting with loved ones.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /ʁe.y.njɔ̃/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use 'réunion' to mean a social reunion of old friends, but in French, 'réunion' is most commonly used for professional or formal meetings.
Did you know?
- Using réunion to describe a family get-together can sound like a formal board meeting to a native speaker. To avoid this, French speakers often use cousinade for large extended family reunions.
- The island called Réunion was originally named Île Bourbon. It was renamed to reflect the 'reunion' of the island with the French crown.
- The word réunion contains the Latin root 'unus', meaning 'one', which is the same root found in the English word 'unique'.
Examples in context
- Comment s'est passée la réunion?How was the reunion?This sentence is useful for asking about how a réunion went.Tatoeba #3474150 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #2548423 by CK
- Il hésita à prendre part à la réunion.He hesitated to take part in the reunion.This sentence shows someone hesitating to participate in a réunion.Tatoeba #5158485 by rudycogniaux, translation #5158814 by abutner
- L'île de la Réunion est une île de l'ouest de l'océan Indien.Reunion Island is an island in the western Indian Ocean.This sentence uses Réunion as part of the name of an island in the western Indian Ocean.Tatoeba #6127351 by Blabla, translation #6734705 by Eccles17
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking in the office hallway.
- ManonGabriel, à quelle heure est la réunion ?Gabriel, what time is the meeting?
- GabrielElle commence à quatorze heures, Manon.It starts at 2 p.m., Manon.
- ManonEst-ce que la réunion est dans la salle A ?Is the meeting in room A?
- GabrielOui, on se retrouve là-bas.Yes, we will meet there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry réunion, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
