parachutisme
/pa.ʁa.ʃy.tism/masculine
Skydiving in French is parachutisme. Wiktionary also lists skydiving.
Meaning: jumping out of an aircraft and freefalling (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| parachutisme | /pa.ʁa.ʃy.tism/ /pa.ʁa.ʃy.tizm/ |
masculine |
| skydiving | masculine |
The term refers to the sport of jumping out of an aircraft and freefalling.
Which one should you use?
parachutisme is the standard French term for the sport, whereas the English loanword skydiving is also used in certain contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the activity of skydiving, use the verb faire with the partitive article du, forming the phrase faire du parachutisme (to go skydiving). A person who performs this activity is called a parachutiste.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of parachutisme is /pa.ʁa.ʃy.tism/. It has 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French use the term parachute doré to describe a massive severance package given to executives, treating the 'parachute' as a financial safety net.
- In France, the first parachute jumps were often performed from hot air balloons during the era of ballonisme rather than from aircraft.
- A parachutiste is not just a sport enthusiast but is also the standard term for a military paratrooper.
Examples in context
- Qu'on le croit ou non, j'ai fait du parachutisme.Believe it or not, I went skydiving.This sentence uses parachutisme to show how to talk about having performed the activity.Tatoeba #128560 by nimfeo, translation #268827 by CM
- La voile est moins risquée que le parachutisme.Sailing ist less risky than skydiving.This sentence uses parachutisme to compare the risk levels of different activities.Tatoeba #13728242 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #13728241 by Ioan_Cristian
- Faire du saut en parachute est incroyable ! Je le recommande à tout le monde.Skydiving is amazing! I recommend it to everyone.
- Le parachutisme est une activité très intense.Skydiving is a very intense activity.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their weekend plans at a cafe.
- HugoEst-ce que tu aimes le parachutisme, Manon ?Do you like skydiving, Manon?
- ManonNon, j'ai trop peur du vide !No, I'm too afraid of heights!
- HugoMoi, je trouve ça passionnant.Me, I find it exciting.
- ManonTu es vraiment courageux, Hugo.You are really brave, Hugo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “skydiving” translations and entries parachutisme, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
