French word

emblée

Pronunciation

IPA/ɑ̃ble/

Meaning

  • adverbright away

Example

D'emblée, il est parti.

He left right away.

Illustration for emblée (right away)

More examples

Je lui ai dit d'emblée que ce n'était pas possible.

I told him right away that it wasn't possible.

Core concept

A decision or action launched from the starting line with no lead-in.

Common phrases

  • d'emblée

    right away

Similar words

tout de suite: Doing something right away, without hesitation.
immédiatement: Doing something immediately, with no delay.
sur-le-champ: Acting on the spot, at once.
sans tarder: Starting without delay or waiting.

Definition in French

Emblée exprime qu'une impression, une décision ou une action intervient dès le premier instant, sans préparatifs ni étapes préalables.

Word origin

Emblée preserves Old French enblée, an adverbial form meaning 'all at once', chiefly retained in modern French after de in d'emblée.

Usage tips

  • In standard modern usage, emblée normally appears in d'emblée, with de elided before the vowel.

Other meanings

  • from the startadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word