Le premier est devenu un avocat célèbre ; le second est entré en politique.
English: The former became a famous lawyer; the latter went into politics.
ancien /ɑ̃sjˈɛ̃/ · noun · CEFR B2. French translation of "former".
See also: Vocabulary entry (French)
- Source term
- former
- Translation
- ancien
- CEFR Level
- B2
- Part of speech
- noun
- Image
Pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview
Listen to how "ancien" sounds in French.
Article, Gender & Forms
French article note: a regular/likely article is "l'" for "ancien". Check context for exceptions.
| Dictionary form | ancien |
|---|---|
| Likely article | l' |
| Likely gender | elided article |
| Regular/likely plural | anciens |
How to use it in a sentence
- Pattern
- Subject + verb + l'ancien
- Examples
- C'est l'ancien.
- Tip
- Use the article with the noun when the language normally requires one.
Example Sentences
Elle préfère la première option plutôt que celle qui est plus bruyante et plus fréquentée.
English: She prefers the former rather than the louder, more crowded option.
De ces deux tableaux, je préfère de loin le premier.
English: Of these two paintings, I much prefer the former.
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