Level B1 (Intermediate)
Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is par hasard, meaning “by chance” or “by accident”. It’s a handy expression for talking about unexpected meetings or things that happen by chance. Learn how to use it naturally with native audio examples!
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
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📘 Par hasard meaning
The French expression par hasard means “by chance”, “by accident”, or “by any chance”, depending on the context. It’s used when something happens unexpectedly or without planning — Ils se sont rencontrés par hasard (They met by chance). It can also appear in questions to show polite curiosity or possibility — Vous n’auriez pas un stylo, par hasard ? (You wouldn’t have a pen, by any chance?).
🎧 Par hasard pronunciation
👉 The pronunciation of par hasard is /paʁ‿azɑʁ/ — roughly par ah-zar.
📝 Par hasard example sentences
C’est drôle, j’ai croisé Sylvie dans la rue par hasard.
It’s funny, I ran into Sylvie on the street by chance.
Tu as vu Thomas ? – Oui, je l’ai rencontré par hasard au supermarché.
Did you see Thomas? – Yes, I met him by chance at the supermarket.
Tu n’aurais pas vu mes clés, par hasard ?
You wouldn’t have seen my keys by any chance?
❓ Curious about the advanced past conditional tense in this sentence? Learn more here »
J’ai découvert ce petit café par hasard.
I discovered this little café by chance.
👉 See related lesson: Par (by, through, per) — Word of the Day »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- au cas où — in case / just in case
- accidentellement — accidentally
- sans faire exprès — unintentionally, by accident
- fortuitement — by chance (formal)
- coïncidence — coincidence
- le hasard — chance, luck
- avoir de la chance — to be lucky
- si jamais… — if by any chance…
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