simpático
The English phrase "sympathique" corresponds to the French word simpático.
It is important to note that while it looks like the English word "sympathetic", it does not mean feeling pity or sorrow.
Which one should you use?
The abbreviation sympa is widely used in French to express someone's friendliness or likability. The shortened form sympa is used widely in everyday conversation to describe people, places or things.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective sympathique becomes sympathiques when describing several people.
What mistakes should you avoid?
While sympathique means 'nice' or 'likable' in French, it does not mean 'feeling pity' as the English word 'sympathetic' does.
Did you know?
- In French, if you describe someone as trop sympa, you are usually giving a high compliment, whereas in English, 'too nice' often implies a weakness.
- In certain contexts, sympa can be used ironically as a sarcastic response to a bad situation, similar to saying 'just great' in English.
- The word sympathique shares a root with the English word 'sympathy' but evolved to describe a person's social magnetism rather than their emotional empathy.
Examples in context
- Ton nouveau colocataire semble vraiment sympa.Your new roommate seems really nice.
- J'ai rencontré une personne incroyablement sympathique lors de mon voyage à Paris.I met an incredibly nice person during my trip to Paris.
- L'artiste a une personnalité très aimable et abordable.The artist has a very friendly and approachable personality.
- C'est vraiment cool de voir autant de personnes sympas dans cette communauté.It's really cool to see so many nice people in this community.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are talking about a new colleague.
- ManonEst-ce que le nouveau collègue est simpático ?Is the new colleague friendly?
- GabrielOui, il est très simpático avec tout le monde.Yes, he is very likable with everyone.
- ManonC'est super, je vais aller lui parler.That's great, I'll go talk to him.
- GabrielTu verras, il est vraiment simpático.You'll see, he is really pleasant.
