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 “coup d’État.” It’s a commonly used French loanword in English that you hear all the time in the media and political conversations. But does it have the same meaning in French? How do you pronounce it? Find out with Marie’s clear audio examples.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
Subscribe to the French Word of the Day
Coup d’État Meaning, Pronunciation and Examples
📘 Coup d’état meaning
A coup d’État is a French term meaning the sudden takeover of political power, usually by force and without elections. The literal translation is “a blow to the state,” referring to a direct strike against the government. It’s also a French loanword in English, where it’s usually written with a lowercase “e” (coup d’etat) and often without the accent, but the meaning and pronunciation stay the same. You’ll often see it in the news and in historical contexts.
🎧 Coup d’État pronunciation
The pronunciation of coup d’État is /ku de.ta/, which sounds like koo deh-tah.
📝 Coup d’État examples & usages
Un coup d’État signifie la prise du pouvoir par la force, sans élections.
A coup d’État means taking power by force, without elections.
Le général a pris le pouvoir après un coup d’État.
The general took power after a coup d’État.
Le pays a connu plusieurs coups d’État dans les années 80.
The country experienced several coups d’État in the 1980s.
Ils ont tenté un coup d’État militaire.
They attempted a military coup d’État.
The French word coup means “hit” or “blow” and appears in countless everyday expressions.
👉 See also: Coup — 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.
🔥 40% off French Today until Dec 2 — their biggest sale of the year.
👉 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
- le pouvoir — political power
- le régime — ruling regime
- un soulèvement — uprising
- une rébellion — rebellion
- un putsch — military takeover
- une insurrection — insurrection
- prendre le pouvoir — seize power
- renverser un gouvernement — overthrow government
- une prise de contrôle — takeover
- un mouvement militaire — military action
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 French politics vocabulary »
🚀 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 »
