ravi de vous rencontrer
In French, "very nice to meet you" is expressed as ravi de vous rencontrer.
The phrase is a polite expression used to tell someone that you are pleased to meet them for the first time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ravi de vous rencontrer literally translates to "delighted to meet you".
Which one should you use?
While ravi de vous rencontrer is used in formal contexts, you should use ravi de te rencontrer when speaking to someone of the same age in a casual setting or someone you already know well.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective used in these phrases must match the gender of the speaker. For example, if the speaker is female, ravi becomes ravie in the phrase ravie de vous rencontrer. Similarly, if a woman uses the shorter form Enchanté, she should add an "e" to write it as Enchantée.
Did you know?
- The word ravi shares a common ancestor with the English word 'ravish', though in modern French it has lost its violent connotation to mean 'delighted'.
- In traditional French etiquette, Enchanté was once considered too informal for high-society introductions and was frowned upon by linguistic purists.
- The pronoun vous is a cognate of the Italian word voi and the Russian word вы (vy).
Examples in context
- Je suis Monsieur Martin. Ravi de vous rencontrer enfin.I am Mr. Martin. Delighted to finally meet you.
- Nous vous souhaitons la bienvenue dans notre entreprise. C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer.We welcome you to our company. It's a pleasure to meet you.
- Salut Marie, enchanté de te rencontrer enfin.Hi Marie, delighted to finally meet you.
- Je suis Julien. Super content de faire ta connaissance.I am Julien. Super happy to meet you.
- Enchanté, ravi de vous rencontrer.Delighted, very nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are meeting for the first time at a professional event.
- ChloéBonjour, je m'appelle Chloé.Hello, my name is Chloé.
- NathanEnchanté, je suis Nathan. Ravi de vous rencontrer.Delighted, I am Nathan. Very nice to meet you.
- ChloéLe plaisir est partagé, Nathan.The pleasure is mine, Nathan.
- NathanMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, ravi, rencontrer, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
