French Conversation · Level 140
30 words
French word
espérance
Pronunciation
IPA/ɛspeʁɑ̃s/
Meaning
- feminine nounhope
Example
Il faut garder l'espérance.
We must hold on to hope.
More examples
Dans cette région, l'espérance de vie reste basse.
In this region, life expectancy stays low.
Core concept
A calm expectation of something good, with the same idea quantified as an average outcome across repeated trials.
Common phrases
l'espérance de vie
life expectancy
placer son espérance en quelqu'un
put one's hope in someone
Similar words
espoir: A feeling that something good will happen in the future.
Definition in French
Disposition d'attendre positivement un bon résultat, sens courant proche d'espoir et sens technique désignant la moyenne attendue en probabilité.
Word origin
The French noun espérance developed from Old French esperance, formed from espérer, which comes from Latin sperare, plus the suffix -ance.
Usage tips
- The phrase garder espoir is more idiomatic in everyday speech than garder l'espérance, which has a more formal or literary tone.