contre
/kɔ̃tʁ/
The English phrase "versus" is translated into French as contre.
The preposition contre is used to express that something or someone is compared with.
Meaning: compared with (prep)
Which one should you use?
Opposé à is a formal way to express the same idea, and En opposition à is used in written French when discussing contrasting ideas or beliefs.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɔ̃tʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the Latin word "versus" as a preposition in French. Instead, use contre.
Did you know?
- In a legal context, French does not use contre for 'versus'. Instead, court cases are titled X c. Y, where c. stands for contre but is rarely spoken aloud as a full word.
- In French, contre is also the standard word used to express being 'against' a physical object, such as a wall or a door, not just an abstract opponent.
- The word contre comes from the Latin 'contra', making it a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'contradict'.
Examples in context
- Le combat pour ce pays n’est pas la droite contre la gauche, c’est la normalité contre la folie.The battle for this country isn’t right or left, it’s normal versus crazy.This sentence shows how to use contre to contrast two opposing concepts.Tatoeba #12279897 by sacredceltic, translation #12279895 by sacredceltic
- Le joueur contre joueur (JcJ) est un type de conflit interactif multijoueur au sein d'un jeu entre des joueurs humains.Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players.This sentence demonstrates the use of contre in the context of gaming, such as in 'player versus player'.Tatoeba #13428718 by Myrano_, translation #13428716 by Myrano_
- Le match de football : France contre Allemagne.The football match: France versus Germany.
- David contre Goliath.David versus Goliath.
- Les faits scientifiques en opposition à certaines croyances religieuses.Scientific facts versus certain religious beliefs.
- Le match : Espagne contre Italie.The match: Spain versus Italy.
- David Bowie face à Mick Jagger.David Bowie versus Mick Jagger.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are deciding which movie to watch.
- ManonOn choisit le film d'horreur contre la comédie ?Shall we choose the horror movie versus the comedy?
- GabrielJe préfère la comédie pour ce soir.I prefer the comedy for tonight.
- ManonD'accord, on vote comédie contre horreur alors.Okay, we vote comedy versus horror then.
- GabrielC'est parfait, Gabriel est d'accord !That's perfect, Gabriel agrees!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry contre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries contre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
