entouré de
The English phrase "surrounded by" is translated into French as entouré de.
The phrase is used to describe being in a position where something or someone is all around you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form must agree in gender and number with the subject being surrounded. While entouré de is the masculine singular form, you should use entourée de for a feminine singular subject, entourés de for a masculine plural subject and entourées de for a feminine plural subject.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use entouré par instead of entouré de because the word "by" often translates to par in other contexts.
Did you know?
- In poetic or formal French, entouré can be replaced by ceint, which comes from the Latin word for 'belt'. It implies being girdled or hugged by the surroundings.
- While entouré de is standard, the verb entourer is often used in French culinary contexts to describe piping a decorative border of cream or frosting around a cake.
- In French, the word tour used in entouré is a cognate of the English word 'tour', which originally meant a circuit or a round trip.
Examples in context
- John était entouré de souris.John was surrounded by mice.This sentence shows how to use entouré de to describe being surrounded by animals.Tatoeba #11531388 by Amastan, translation #11513277 by Amastan
- Il aime être entouré de jeunes.He likes being surrounded by young people.This sentence demonstrates using entouré de to describe being surrounded by people.Tatoeba #1544592 by sacredceltic, translation #1164068 by Chrikaru
- Je veux vivre entouré de livres.I want to live surrounded by books.This sentence shows how to use entouré de to describe being surrounded by objects.Tatoeba #11926826 by zogwarg, translation #11926829 by zogwarg
- Je suis entouré par ma familleI am surrounded by my family.
- La maison était encerclée par une clôtureThe house was surrounded by a fence.
- Il se sentait cerné par ses problèmesHe felt surrounded by his problems.
- Je suis entouré de mes amisI am surrounded by my friends.
- Le café avait du monde autourThe café was surrounded by people.
- J'étais entouré(e) de monuments magnifiques toute la journée.I was surrounded by beautiful monuments all day.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are visiting a beautiful garden.
- HugoRegarde, je suis entouré de fleurs !Look, I am surrounded by flowers!
- LéaC'est magnifique, Hugo.It is magnificent, Hugo.
- HugoJ'adore être entouré de nature.I love being surrounded by nature.
- LéaMoi aussi, Léa adore ça.Me too, Léa loves that.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
