French word

surprise

Pronunciation

IPA/syʁpʁiz/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsurprise

Example

Quelle surprise de te voir !

What a surprise to see you!

Illustration for surprise (surprise)

More examples

Ils ont organisé une surprise pour son anniversaire.

They organized a surprise for his birthday.

Core concept

A sudden jolt of astonishment when an unexpected event breaks into the moment.

Common phrases

  • organiser une surprise pour quelqu'un

    organize a surprise for someone

  • recevoir une surprise

    receive a surprise

Similar words

étonnement: A feeling of astonishment at something unexpected.
sursaut: A brief startle caused by a sudden stimulus.

Definition in French

Sentiment soudain d'étonnement face à quelque chose d'inattendu.

Word origin

The noun surprise comes from the feminine past participle of surprendre, inherited from Old French and ultimately from Latin superprehendere, meaning to catch unexpectedly.

Usage tips

  • Surprise is feminine, so the fixed expression is quelle surprise, not quel surprise.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word