Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker.
👉 Check our my related lesson on au fur et à mesure, meaning “gradually” »
Level A2 (Upper beginner)
Most people know déjà from the phrase déjà vu. But in French, déjà is an adverb meaning “already.” It’s also used to mean “ever” in questions and appears constantly in everyday speech.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
Subscribe to the French Word of the Day
📘 Déjà meaning
In French, déjà is an adverb meaning “already.” It’s used when an action has taken place before now or earlier than anticipated. It can also mean “ever” in questions. For example, J’ai déjà mangé means “I’ve already eaten,” and As-tu déjà visité Paris ? means “Have you ever visited Paris?” See examples below.
🎧 Déjà pronunciation
Déjà is pronounced /de ʒa/ in IPA, like “day-zhah.” The é has the acute accent, giving it the “ay” sound as in say. The j makes the soft /ʒ/ sound, like the “s” in measure.
📝 French and English examples
Déjà – already
Elle a déjà fini tous ses devoirs.
She already finished all her homework.
J’ai déjà vu ce film deux fois.
I’ve already seen this movie twice.
Quand je suis arrivé, tu étais déjà parti.
When I arrived you had already left.
In the passé composé, “Est-ce que tu as déjà” or “Est-ce que vous avez déjà” translates to “have you ever.”
Est-ce que tu as déjà fait du ski dans les Alpes?
Have you ever skied in the Alps?
The expression c’est déjà ça translates to “that’s not bad for a start”.
J’ai fini la vaiselle, c’est déjà ça.
I finished the dishes. That’s not bad for a start.
The English expression déjà-vu is directly borrowed from French and translates literally to “already seen.”
En parlant à cette femme, j’ai eu une impression de déjà-vu.
I had déjà-vu while speaking this lady.
🚀 Ready to move beyond single words?
French Today’s À Moi Paris audio course takes you step by step from beginner to advanced with natural dialogues.
👉 See the full course here »
Disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you buy the course I will earn a small commission.
🔗 Related words and expressions
- pas encore — not yet
- toujours — still / always
- jamais — never / ever
- déjà vu — already seen
- parfois — sometimes
- souvent — often
- bientôt — soon
- à peine — hardly / barely
🚀 Continue your French learning!
Now that you’ve mastered déjà, take a look at my lesson on jamais, the French word for “never,” with examples and clear explanations.
