en haut
/ɑ̃ o/
The English word 'up' is translated into French as en haut.
en haut is used as an adverb to indicate a position away from the earth's surface. While en haut describes a location, you might use the related term en hauteur in formal contexts to specifically emphasize the notion of vertical height.
Meaning: away from earth’s surface (adv)
Which one should you use?
en haut is the direct antonym of en bas, which means 'down' or 'at the bottom'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, where 'up' can function as a preposition (such as in 'up the stairs'), en haut is primarily used as an adverbial phrase to indicate a location or direction.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃ o/
Did you know?
- The word haut is closely related to the English word 'haughty', which describes someone acting 'high and mighty'.
- The word haut is a linguistic hybrid, created by blending the Latin word altus and the Frankish word hauh.
- To say 'wake up', French speakers use the reflexive verb se réveiller, which contains no word meaning 'up'.
Examples in context
- Je suis en haut.I'm up here.This sentence shows how to state your current location using en haut.Tatoeba #7411758 by lbdx, translation #3723188 by CM
- Toi, là ! En haut !Hey you! Up here!This sentence demonstrates how to call out to someone using en haut.Tatoeba #8690173 by Micsmithel, translation #2358617 by megamanenm
- Le livre est tout en haut.The book is up there.This sentence illustrates how to describe the location of an object using en haut.Tatoeba #3894088 by Micsmithel, translation #3893289 by smdean
- Le chat est perché en haut de l'arbre.The cat is perched up on the tree.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are looking for a box in the garage.
- HugoLéa, est-ce que le carton est en haut ?Léa, is the box up there?
- LéaOui, il est sur l'étagère en haut.Yes, it is on the shelf up there.
- HugoJe ne peux pas l'atteindre en haut.I cannot reach it up there.
- LéaAttend, je vais t'aider, Hugo.Wait, I will help you, Hugo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “up” translations and entries en haut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, haut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
