échantillon
/e.ʃɑ̃.ti.jɔ̃/
In French, the word for sample is échantillon.
The word échantillon refers to a small part or quantity of something used to show what the whole is like. It is used for both physical samples, such as a product tester or a fabric swatch and scientific samples, such as a sample of soil or blood.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of France, you might hear the word exemplaire used instead of échantillon to mean a sample.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of échantillon is échantillons.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has four syllables and is pronounced /e.ʃɑ̃.ti.jɔ̃/.
Did you know?
- The word échantillon traces its origins back to the Latin word scandaculum, which means 'ladder'.
- The word échantillon is used in French music production to describe a 'sample' of audio, although musicians often use the English loanword 'sampler' for the device.
- While échantillon is a physical sample, French uses the word échantillonnage to describe the statistical process of sampling a population.
Examples in context
- C'est un échantillon gratuit.This is a free sample.This sentence shows how to describe a free sample using échantillon.Tatoeba #7849165 by Aiji, translation #2253257 by _undertoad
- L'échantillon n'est pas assez pur.The sample is not pure enough.This sentence shows how to describe the purity of a sample using échantillon.Tatoeba #1112098 by sacredceltic, translation #1112077 by Scott
- Ils m'ont envoyé un échantillon gratuit.They sent me a free sample.Tatoeba #9735466 by Aiji, translation #9735467 by CK
- Nous offrons des échantillons gratuits pour tester notre produit.We offer free samples to test our product.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are at a perfume store.
- ManonEst-ce que je peux avoir un échantillon ?Can I have a sample?
- HugoOui, lequel voulez-vous essayer, Manon ?Yes, which one do you want to try, Manon?
- ManonJe préfère celui-ci pour cet échantillon.I prefer this one for this sample.
- HugoTrès bien, je vous le donne tout de suite.Very well, I will give it to you right away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry échantillon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries échantillon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
