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👉 See also: Bref (in short, anyway) »
Level B1 (Lower Intermediate)
Published February 26, 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 en résumé, meaning “to sum up” or “in a nutshell.” Learn how to use this slightly advanced French expression to introduce conclusions in structured speech and writing.
📘 En résumé meaning in French
En résumé is an adverbial expression translating literally to “in summary” and meaning “to sum up,” “in a nutshell,” “to put it simply,” or “in summary.” It is used to introduce a conclusion or restate the main point of what was just said. It commonly appears in both formal writing and structured speech when wrapping up an idea.
🎧 En résumé pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of en résumé is /ɑ̃ ʁe.zy.me/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “ahn ray-zoo-may.”
📝 En résumé usage examples
Elle a essayé plusieurs solutions. En résumé, rien n’a marché.
She tried several solutions. To sum up, nothing worked.
Le projet est trop cher et trop long. En résumé, ce n’est pas possible.
The project is too expensive and too long. In a nutshell, it’s not possible.
On a tout vérifié. En résumé, tout est prêt.
We checked everything. To put it simply, everything is ready.
En résumé, nous devons changer de stratégie.
In summary, we need to change strategy.
For a more casual and conversational way to say “in summary,” you can also use bref.
👉 See also: Bref examples (with audio) »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- bref — in short
- en bref — in brief
- en conclusion — in conclusion
- pour conclure — to conclude
- en somme — all in all
- au final — in the end
- pour résumer — to summarize
- en définitive — ultimately
- en fin de compte — when all is said and done
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