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👉 See also: C’est-à-dire (That’s to say) »
Level B1 (Intermediate)
Published February 18, 2026 — 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 autrement dit, meaning “in other words” or “put differently.” Learn how to use this slightly advanced linking expression to sound more polished in everyday conversations.
📘 Autrement dit meaning in French
Autrement dit is a French expression meaning “in other words” or “put differently.” It is used to restate, clarify, or simplify what was just said so the listener understands the idea more clearly. For example: Il a raté le train. Autrement dit, il arrivera en retard (He missed the train — in other words, he’ll arrive late). The expression is slightly formal and appears frequently in writing, explanations, and careful speech.
💡 Autrement dit vs. c’est-à-dire
C’est-à-dire also means “in other words” and is a close synonym of autrement dit. However, c’est-à-dire is more common in everyday conversation, while autrement dit feels slightly more polished and explanatory.
🎧 Autrement dit pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of autrement dit is /otʁəmɑ̃ di/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “oh-truh-mahn dee”.
📝 Autrement dit usage examples
Elle n’est pas disponible. Autrement dit, elle ne viendra pas.
She isn’t available. In other words, she won’t come.
Le projet est trop cher. Autrement dit, on ne peut pas le faire.
The project is too expensive. In other words, we can’t do it.
👉 See also: Pouvoir conjugation charts (with audio + quiz) »
Tu n’as pas respecté les règles. Autrement dit, c’est une erreur.
You didn’t follow the rules. In other words, it’s a mistake.
Autrement dit, nous devons trouver une autre solution.
In other words, we must find another solution.
👉 Want a more common way to say this? Try c’est-à-dire »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- c’est-à-dire — that is to say / i.e.
- bref — briefly / in short
- en bref — in short
- en d’autres termes — in other words
- autrement formulé — put differently
- pour le dire autrement — to put it another way
- pour résumer — to summarize
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 C’est-à-dire (That’s to say) »
👉 Bref (In short, anyway) »
