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 vis-à-vis, meaning “in relation to.” Vis-à-vis is a gallicism — a French word borrowed into English — and it’s often used in both languages to mean “in relation to” or “compared with.” But how do the French actually use it? Does its meaning change in real conversation? Keep reading to find out!
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
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📘 Vis-à-vis meaning
Vis-à-vis is a French expression meaning “face to face,” “in relation to,” or “compared with.” In French, it’s used both literally and figuratively — Ils dînaient vis-à-vis au restaurant (They were dining face to face at the restaurant) and Elle est polie vis-à-vis de ses professeurs (She is polite toward her teachers), where vis-à-vis is naturally followed by de + noun. It’s common and natural in everyday French.
In English, vis-à-vis has the same meanings but sounds more formal. It’s mostly used in writing to mean “in relation to” or “compared with,” as in “The dollar remains strong vis-à-vis the euro.” The difference lies in register and frequency of use.
🎧 Vis-à-vis pronunciation
👉 The pronunciation of vis-à-vis is /vi.za.vi/ — roughly vee-zah-vee.
📝 Vis-à-vis example sentences
Face to face (literal meaning)
Ils étaient assis vis-à-vis dans le train.
They were sitting face to face on the train.
Toward / in relation to someone (figurative use)
Elle est gentille vis-à-vis de ses voisins.
She is kind toward her neighbors.
Il est très prudent vis-à-vis de l’argent.
He is very careful with money.
J’ai des doutes vis-à-vis de cette décision.
I have doubts regarding that decision.
Compared with / in relation to (comparison)
Le dollar est fort vis-à-vis de l’euro.
The dollar is strong compared to the euro.
👉 See also: Par rapport à (in relation to, compared to) — Word of the Day »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- à l’égard de — regarding, toward
- envers — toward (used with people)
- par rapport à — in relation to, compared with
- concernant — concerning, regarding
- au sujet de — about, regarding
- en ce qui concerne — as far as … is concerned
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