Level B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is à l’insu de, an expression meaning “without someone knowing.” This is another upper-intermediate (B2) structure that looks tricky at first glance, but it’s actually straightforward once you hear a few clear examples. Listen to Marie’s audio and you’ll get it immediately!
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
Subscribe to the French Word of the Day
📘 À l’insu de meaning
À l’insu de is a common French expression meaning “without someone knowing,” “unbeknownst to” or “without someone’s knowledge.” It always expresses doing something behind someone’s back, secretly, or without permission. À l’insu comes from the old French noun insu, which itself comes from the Latin incognitus meaning “unknown” or “not known.” So, à l’insu de literally means: “to the unknown of someone,” or without that person knowing.
⭐ Key grammar note
You can never say “à l’insu de moi” (without my knowing). French does not allow the stressed pronoun (moi = me) in this expression — you must use the possessive adjective instead. Hence, “à mon insu” means “without my knowing” or “without my knowledge.”
➜ à mon insu — without my knowing
➜ à ton insu — without your knowing
➜ à son insu — without his/her knowing
➜ à notre insu — without our knowing
➜ à votre insu — without your knowing (formal/plural)
➜ à leur insu — without their knowing
🎧 À l’insu de pronunciation
The pronunciation of à l’insu de is /a lɛ̃sy də/, which sounds like ah lun-SUE duh.
📝 À l’insu de examples & usages
Sophie a changé de travail à l’insu de son mari, Paul.
Sophie changed jobs unbeknownst to her husband, Paul.
Marc a vendu la voiture à l’insu de sa famille.
Marc sold the car without his family knowing.
Léa et Thomas sont sortis à l’insu de leurs parents.
Léa and Thomas went out without their parents knowing.
La photo de Camille a été publiée à son insu.
Camille’s photo was posted without her knowing.
Savoir is the French verb used to talk about knowing facts — things you either know to be true or not.
👉 Explore: Savoir — meaning, pronunciation and examples »
❓ Want to feel more confident in French?
🎯 À Moi Paris — This is my top recommendation for online French courses, and it pairs wonderfully with my daily lessons. Camille Chevalier teaches with engaging audio stories that she records at three speeds. Her specialty is helping students with pronunciation and bridging the gap between textbook French and real spoken French as you hear it on the streets of Paris.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
🎧 French Verb Drills — Having trouble with French verb conjugations? Camille’s audio drills break everything down step by step so you can finally lock in the patterns and speak with confidence.
If you purchase the courses, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
🔗 Related words and expressions
- sans le savoir — without knowing it
- en secret — in secret
- en cachette — secretly, on the sly
- en douce — quietly, discreetly
- sans que — without (someone) doing something
- à son insu — without his/her knowledge
- à ton insu / à votre insu — without your knowledge
- discrètement — discreetly
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 French stressed pronouns »
👉 French possessive adjectives »
🚀 Continue learning French online on FrenchLearner!
👉 French Word of the Day »
👉 French Vocabulary lists »
👉 French for beginners guide »
👉 French song lyrics hub »
👉 French conjugations hub »
