Published November 3, 2025 • Updated April 10, 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.
📘 Vis-à-vis meaning
Vis-à-vis is a French expression meaning “face to face,” “toward,” “in relation to,” or “compared to.” 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.
🎧 Vis-à-vis pronunciation
The pronunciation of vis-à-vis is /vi.za.vi/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like vee-zah-vee.
📝 Vis-à-vis examples
1. Face to face (physical)
Ils étaient assis vis-à-vis dans le train.
They were sitting face to face on the train.
2. Toward someone (attitude, behavior)
Elle est gentille vis-à-vis de ses voisins.
She is kind toward her neighbors.
3. Toward something (attitude, caution)
Il est très prudent vis-à-vis de l’argent.
He is very careful with money.
4. Opinion or judgment (doubt, evaluation)
J’ai des doutes vis-à-vis de cette décision.
I have doubts regarding that decision.
5. Compared to / relative to (comparison)
Le dollar est fort vis-à-vis de l’euro.
The dollar is strong compared to the euro.
📘 Synonymous expressions
👉 à l’égard de — with regard to (formal)
👉 à propos de — about
👉 par rapport à — compared to / in relation to
👉 envers — toward (people)
🇬🇧 Vis-à-vis in English
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 to,” as in The dollar remains strong vis-à-vis the euro. The difference lies in register and frequency of use.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- en face — facing
- face à face — face to face
- à côté de — next to
- concernant — concerning, regarding
- au sujet de — about, regarding
- en ce qui concerne — as far as … is concerned
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