quel soulagement
The English phrase "what a relief" is translated into French as quel soulagement.
quel soulagement is an exclamation used to express a feeling of happiness when something unpleasant has stopped or has been avoided.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of quel (what/which) and soulagement (relief).
Which one should you use?
While quel soulagement is used specifically for the removal of a burden or a stressful situation, you can use quelle joie to express a similar exclamatory sentiment for a positive event that is not necessarily a relief.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because soulagement is a masculine noun, the exclamatory determiner quel remains in its masculine singular form.
Did you know?
- In a very informal or slang context, instead of quel soulagement, a French person might simply say ouf! to express the same feeling of relief.
- The root of soulagement comes from soulager, which is derived from soulever meaning 'to lift'. To feel relief in French is literally to have a weight lifted off you.
- The word soulagement shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'solace', as both relate to the idea of comforting or easing distress.
Examples in context
- Quel soulagement !What a relief!This example shows the standalone exclamation quel soulagement.Tatoeba #4626012 by sacredceltic, translation #2254534 by CK
- J’ai enfin fini ce rapport, quel soulagement !I finally finished that report, what a relief!This example shows how to use quel soulagement to express relief after finishing a task.Tatoeba #12750263 by Igider, translation #13806302 by tieguy
- Quel soulagement d'entendre que notre projet a été accepté !What a relief to hear that our project has been accepted!
- Après cette longue attente, c'est un grand soulagement d'avoir reçu la réponse positive.After this long wait, it's a great relief to have received the positive response.
- Quelle délivrance que les vacances soient enfin arrivées !What a relief that the holidays have finally arrived!
- Quel soulagement de savoir que tu es bien arrivé !What a relief to know that you arrived safely!
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are waiting for a medical test result.
- LucasLe médecin a dit que tout va bien.The doctor said everything is fine.
- ChloéOh, quel soulagement !Oh, what a relief!
- LucasJe suis vraiment rassuré maintenant.I am really reassured now.
- ChloéMoi aussi, Lucas.Me too, Lucas.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
