French Conversation · Level 71
60 words
French word
aléa
Pronunciation
IPA/alea/
Meaning
- masculine nouncontingency
Example
La grève a causé des aléas d'organisation.
The strike caused unforeseen organizational contingencies.
More examples
Les aléas climatiques ont retardé la récolte.
Climate-related hazards delayed the harvest.
Core concept
A variable twist in events that can change the result a plan was meant to produce.
Common phrases
aléas de la vie
vicissitudes of life
aléas climatiques
climate-related hazards
aléas imprévus
unforeseen contingencies
Similar words
imprévu: An event that could not have been predicted in advance.
contretemps: An inconvenient event that delays planned activities.
Definition in French
Événement imprévu qui peut perturber un plan ou modifier le résultat attendu.
Word origin
The noun comes from Latin alea, meaning a dice game or chance, through learned French borrowing, which explains its link with uncertainty.
Usage tips
- In ordinary French, a single unexpected setback is often called an imprévu or a contretemps, while aléa is common in formal explanations and in the plural aléas.