forçat

convict, galley slave

noun for-SAH Rare

Origin: French forcer 'to force'

Usage Note

Forçat historically referred to a condemned prisoner sentenced to hard labor on galleys or in penal colonies (le bagne). Today it is used figuratively for someone working under brutal conditions — travailler comme un forçat ('to work like a slave') is a common idiom. Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean in Les Misérables is the most famous fictional forçat.

Examples

"Il travaillait comme un forçat pour nourrir sa famille."

Natural Translation

He worked like a slave to feed his family.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French False Friends: 25 Faux Amis to Avoid

French false friends look like English words but mean something else: actuellement is not actually, sensible means sensitive. Here are 25 faux amis to avoid.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Object Pronouns: le, la, lui, leur Order

Le lui or lui le? Use the à-name test to pick le/la vs lui/leur, then one slot chart to order two French object pronouns — plus the command exception.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

How to Pronounce the French R (Step by Step)

The French R is a back-of-the-throat sound, not a rolled R. Learn the exact tongue position and a step-by-step drill to build it from sounds you already make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read