French Conversation · Level 1
82 words
French word
sir
Pronunciation
IPA/sœʁ/
Meaning
- masculine nounsir
Example
Le public a applaudi Sir Elton John.
The audience applauded Sir Elton John.
More examples
Le serveur a appelé le client Sir par erreur.
The waiter mistakenly called the customer Sir.
Core concept
A short English honorific placed directly before a knighted man's name.
Common phrases
appeler quelqu'un Sir
to call someone Sir
porter le titre de Sir
to hold the title of Sir
le titre de Sir
the title of Sir
Similar words
monsieur: A polite title for a man, placed before his name or surname.
madame: A polite title for an adult or married woman, placed before her name or surname.
Definition in French
sir est un titre honorifique importé de l'anglais, placé devant le nom d'un homme anobli pour indiquer le rang (par exemple chevalier) et parfois repris tel quel dans les textes francophones.
Word origin
French borrowed sir from English, whose Middle English sire came through Old French sire from Latin senior, meaning 'older'.
Usage tips
- In French, Sir normally stands immediately before the name without an article, as in Sir Elton John.
Opposites
- dameDamenoun