quelle surprise !
What a surprise! In French is quelle surprise !, an exclamation used when something unexpected happens.
Say quelle surprise ! when something catches you off guard, such as meeting a friend by chance. You can extend it, as in Quelle surprise de te voir ici !, what a surprise to see you here.
Which one should you use?
Ça alors ! is a casual exclamation close to wow or no kidding. Je n'en reviens pas ! means I can't believe it.
How does it change in a sentence?
quelle is feminine because it agrees with the feminine noun surprise. With a masculine noun the word changes to quel, as in quel étonnement ! In written French a space goes before the exclamation mark.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use quel with surprise. The noun is feminine, so it must be quelle.
Did you know?
- If you are shocked to the point of disbelief, you might say Je n'en reviens pas ! This phrase literally translates to 'I do not come back from it', implying the event is so shocking you cannot return to reality.
- The verb inside surprise is surprendre, which literally means 'to take by surprise' or 'to seize' from the Latin 'super' and 'prehendere'.
- While 'quelle surprise !' sounds very polite, if used with a sarcastic tone, it can be perceived as quite biting or dismissive in a social setting.
Examples in context
- Quelle surprise ! Ce prix est bien plus avantageux que prévu !What a surprise! This price is much more advantageous than expected!
- Quelle surprise de te voir ici ! Ça fait si longtemps !What a surprise to see you here! It's been so long!
- Quelle surprise de vous voir ici !What a surprise to see you here!
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas meet unexpectedly at a cafe.
- LéaLucas ! Quelle surprise !Lucas! What a surprise!
- LucasLéa ! Je ne m'attendais pas à te voir.Léa! I wasn't expecting to see you.
- LéaMoi non plus, je suis juste de passage.Me neither, I'm just passing through.
- LucasC'est une coïncidence incroyable.It is an incredible coincidence.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries surprise, CC BY-SA 4.0.
