cousin issu de germain
/ku.zɛ̃ i.sy d(ə) ʒɛʁ.mɛ̃/
The English phrase "second cousin" is cousin issu de germain in French.
This phrase is used to describe a relative who shares a set of great-grandparents with you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes to the feminine form cousine issue de germain when referring to a female second cousin.
How do you pronounce it?
/ku.zɛ̃ i.sy d(ə) ʒɛʁ.mɛ̃/. It has 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- In everyday spoken French, people rarely use the technical term cousin issu de germain and instead simply say cousin for all levels of cousins.
- The word issu in this phrase is the past participle of the Old French verb issir, which meant 'to go out'. This verb was eventually replaced in Modern French by the word sortir.
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are looking at a family tree.
- EmmaQui est cette personne sur la photo ?Who is this person in the photo?
- NathanC'est mon cousin issu de germain.That is my second cousin.
- EmmaEst-ce que vous vous voyez souvent ?Do you see each other often?
- NathanNon, nous nous voyons rarement.No, we rarely see each other.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cousin issu de germain, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cousin, de, germain, issu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
