Published November 13, 2023 • Updated June 27, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Formidable — Meaning and Pronunciation
Formidable is a French adjective meaning “great,” “wonderful,” “fantastic,” or “terrific.” It’s a false cognate (faux ami) because English “formidable” usually means intimidating or hard to overcome. In everyday French, formidable is usually positive and is used to describe something very good or impressive. For English “formidable” meaning “tough to beat,” French often uses redoutable.
IPA pronunciation of formidable is /fɔʁ.mi.dabl/, which sounds approximately like “for-mee-dabl”.
Example Sentences
Formidable ! J’y serai demain !
Great! I’ll be there tomorrow!
Hier j’ai vu un film formidable. Je suis certain que tu vas l’aimer !
I saw a great film yesterday. I’m sure you’ll like it!
J’ai vraiment apprecié la pièce. C’était formidable !
I really liked the play. It was wonderful!
Elle a appris le poème par coeur. Elle a une mémoire formidable.
She learned the poem by heart. She has an outstanding memory.
🎵 Now listen to the hit 2013 song “Formidable“ by leading Belgian singer Stromae. I’ve included Marie’s special audio section!
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Related French Words & Expressions
- génial — awesome, brilliant
- super — great
- excellent — excellent
- fantastique — fantastic
- merveilleux / merveilleuse — wonderful
- extraordinaire — extraordinary, amazing
- remarquable — remarkable
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