tiers
/tjɛʁ/
To say third party in French, use tiers.
tiers means a third party, someone not directly involved in a deal, contract or dispute. It is common in legal, insurance and business language.
Meaning: someone not directly involved in a transaction (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /tjɛʁ/. The final s is silent.
What mistakes should you avoid?
tiers also means a third as a fraction, so context shows which meaning is intended.
Did you know?
- In the context of the French Revolution, the Tiers État or 'Third Estate' referred to the common people who were not clergy or nobility.
- The term tiers is used in French music theory to describe an interval of a third between two notes.
- While tiers means 'third party', the French word for 'third' in a sequence, like the third person in a line, is troisième.
Examples in context
- Le contrat a été signé par un tiers.The contract was signed by a third party.
- Nous ne devons pas impliquer de tiers.We must not involve third parties.
- Un tiers a réglé la facture.A third party paid the invoice.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing a legal contract.
- NathanEst-ce que le paiement passe par un tiers ?Does the payment go through a third party?
- ChloéOui, nous utilisons un tiers pour sécuriser les fonds.Yes, we use a third party to secure the funds.
- NathanC'est plus sûr pour nous deux.It is safer for both of us.
- ChloéJe suis d'accord avec toi, Nathan.I agree with you, Nathan.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tiers, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
