trader
/tʁe.dœʁ/feminine, masculine
In French, the English phrase "trader" can be translated as commerçant or trader.
Meaning: one who earns a living by trading (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| trader | /tʁe.dœʁ/ | feminine, masculine |
| commerçant | /kɔ.mɛʁ.sɑ̃/ | masculine |
The term refers to someone who earns a living through trading.
Which one should you use?
Use commerçant when referring to a general trader or a shopkeeper. In contrast, the word trader is an anglicism used almost exclusively in French to describe someone trading stocks, currencies or other financial instruments.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is commerçant and its feminine form is commerçante. The word trader can be used as both a masculine and feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʁe.dœʁ/ (2 syllables)
Did you know?
- In France, the official body for language, the Académie Française, generally discourages the use of anglicisms like trader and suggests using terms like opérateur de marché instead.
- While commerçant describes a shopkeeper, the word commerce in French can refer to any kind of trade, including the 'commerce' between nations or even 'commerce' between two lovers in older literature.
- In many French contexts, the term commerçant carries a sense of social importance as a pillar of the local community, a nuance not captured by the English word 'trader'.
Examples in context
- Ziri est devenu commerçant.Ziri became a trader.This sentence shows how to use commerçant to describe someone's profession.Tatoeba #11764064 by Amastan, translation #10209461 by Amastan
- Le frère aîné est devenu un commerçant prospère.The oldest brother became a successful trader.This sentence uses commerçant to describe a successful trader.Tatoeba #10537234 by lbdx, translation #2044295 by AlanF_US
- Le trader estime que les marchés financiers sont volatils cette semaine.The trader believes that the financial markets are volatile this week.
- Le courtier en bourse propose des conseils pour optimiser vos investissements.The stockbroker offers advice to optimize your investments.
- Le spéculateur a pris des risques élevés pour réaliser des bénéfices substantiels.The speculator took high risks to make substantial profits.
- Il travaille comme trader à la Bourse.He works as a trader at the stock exchange.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are talking about their career paths.
- ChloéNathan, quel est ton métier ?Nathan, what is your job?
- NathanJe suis trader depuis deux ans.I have been a trader for two years.
- ChloéC'est un métier très stressant, non ?It is a very stressful job, isn't it?
- NathanOui, mais c'est passionnant.Yes, but it is exciting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trader” translations and entries trader, commerçant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
