Skip to content

surpris

surprised, astonished

adjective soor-PREE Less Common

Usage Note

Surpris is the masculine singular form; the feminine is surprise. It functions as both the past participle of surprendre ('to surprise/catch off guard') and as a standalone adjective. The final 's' is silent. Prendre en flagrant délit and surprendre quelqu'un share the sense of catching someone unawares.

Examples

"Il était surpris de la nouvelle."

Natural Translation

He was surprised by the news.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

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

Explore French by topic