Which one should you use?
While commerce is used for the organized industry or activity of trade, the word échange is more natural for the general or informal sense of trading one thing for another, such as trading ideas or collecting cards. In formal contexts, you may also see négoce used specifically for the trading of goods or the phrase échange commercial to emphasize the commercial nature of a transaction.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec French, échange can be used as an equivalent for trade in everyday conversations.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
commerce is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /kɔ.mɛʁs/ with two syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the verb commercer to mean 'to trade' in a general sense. However, in modern French, commercer is extremely rare and typically only refers to 'having dealings with' someone.
Did you know?
- While commerce refers to business, the French word commerce can also describe a social relationship or 'intercourse' between people in a literary context.
- French distinguishes between le commerce as a general economic activity and un commerce as a physical shop or storefront.
- In French, the act of trading something for something else is often described as troc, which refers specifically to bartering without money.
Examples in context
- L'Algérie a adopté le commerce libre.Algeria embraced free trade.This sentence shows how to use commerce regarding free trade.Tatoeba #11837174 by Amastan, translation #10096387 by Amastan
- Le commerce des armes est florissant.The arms trade is flourishing.This sentence illustrates the use of commerce in the context of the arms trade.Tatoeba #13706908 by felix63, translation #13708676 by rul
- Le Japon dépend du commerce extérieur.Japan depends on foreign trade.This sentence demonstrates commerce used in the context of foreign trade.Tatoeba #541600 by Snout, translation #281607 by CK
- Le commerce international est vital pour l'économieInternational trade is vital for the economy
- Il travaille dans le négoce de produits agricolesHe works in the trade of agricultural products
- Les pays ont établi des accords d'échange commercialThe countries have established trade agreements
- On a fait du troc pour nos vieux vêtementsWe traded our old clothes
- On a fait un super deal avec le vendeurWe made a great trade with the seller
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are discussing his career choices.
- EmmaGabriel, tu aimes ton nouveau travail ?Gabriel, do you like your new job?
- GabrielOui, le commerce de textile m'intéresse beaucoup.Yes, the textile trade interests me a lot.
- EmmaC'est un secteur très dynamique.It is a very dynamic sector.
- GabrielC'est vrai, j'aime beaucoup ce commerce.That's true, I really like this trade.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trade” translations and entries commerce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
