French word

surpris

Pronunciation

IPA/syʁpʁi/

Meaning

  • adjectivesurprised

Example

Je suis surpris de te voir.

I am surprised to see you.

Illustration for surpris (surprised)

More examples

Il a l'air surpris en entendant la nouvelle.

He looks surprised upon hearing the news.

Core concept

A person caught off guard by an unexpected event or piece of information, with a brief change in expression or voice.

Common phrases

  • avoir l'air surpris

    look surprised

  • être surpris de

    be surprised at

Similar words

étonné: Filled with surprise and wonder, often with widened eyes or faltering speech.
choqué: Deeply disturbed and confused by a strong, unpleasant shock.
stupéfait: Overwhelmed by extreme surprise and left unable to speak.

Definition in French

Qui ressent de l'étonnement à la suite d'un événement ou d'une information inattendue.

Word origin

Surpris is the past participle of surprendre, from Old French sorprendre and ultimately Latin superprehendere, meaning to seize unexpectedly.

Usage tips

  • As an adjective, surpris agrees with the noun: surprise is feminine singular, surpris is masculine plural, and surprises is feminine plural.

Other meanings

  • surpriseverb

Related words

Word lists with this word