relationnel
/ʁə.la.sjɔ.nɛl/masculine
The English phrase "social skills" can be translated into French using relationnel. Wiktionary also lists sociabilité.
Meaning: personal skills of social communication and interaction (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| relationnel | /ʁə.la.sjɔ.nɛl/ | masculine |
| sociabilité | /sɔ.sja.bi.li.te/ | feminine |
The term refers to personal skills of social communication and interaction. In professional or psychological contexts, the masculine noun le relationnel is used to refer to the social/interpersonal dimension of a person or a job. For an idiomatic way to describe someone who possesses high-level social skills or is socially adept, you can use aisance relationnelle.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the expression habiletés sociales is sometimes used to translate "social skills".
How does it change in a sentence?
To express 'social skills' as a plural noun phrase in a professional context, one typically uses compétences relationnelles.
How do you pronounce it?
relationnel is pronounced /ʁə.la.sjɔ.nɛl/ and consists of 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French social etiquette, having aisance relationnelle often includes the mastery of 'codes', such as knowing exactly when to use tu versus vous based on the social hierarchy.
- If you lack aisance relationnelle, a French speaker might describe you as 'maladroit', which implies you are 'clumsy' in a social sense, as if you were tripping over words.
- The adjective relationnel is derived from relation, which comes from the Latin relatio meaning 'bringing back' or 'reporting'.
Examples in context
- Il est important de développer ses compétences sociales pour réussir dans le monde professionnel.It is important to develop one's social skills to succeed in the professional world.
- J'ai décidé de m'inscrire à un cours de théâtre pour sortir de ma zone de confort et travailler mes compétences sociales.I decided to sign up for a theater class to get out of my comfort zone and work on my social skills.
- Son talent relationnel est impressionnant.His social skill is impressive.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a new employee during a coffee break.
- NathanLe nouveau stagiaire est très intelligent.The new intern is very intelligent.
- EmmaOui, mais il manque un peu de relationnel.Yes, but he lacks a bit of social skills.
- NathanC'est vrai, il est assez réservé.That's true, he is quite reserved.
- EmmaOn va l'aider à s'intégrer.We will help him settle in.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “social skills” translations and entries relationnel, sociabilité, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries relationnel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
