Dialogue
Ami, copain or connaissance? Introduce the people you know
Practise a French conversation about friends and acquaintances. Compare ami, copain and connaissance, including mon amie and the boyfriend meaning of copain.
- A2
- 12 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Un ami / une amie means a friend; un copain / une copine is a familiar way to say a friend or mate and can also mean a boyfriend or girlfriend. Une connaissance is an acquaintance. Add how you know the person, or say petit ami / petite amie when you mean a romantic partner.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learnRed watch out
un ami / une amiea friend
Focus: friendship; add a detail to describe the connection
une amie du lycée · un ami proche
Léa est une amie du lycée.
Léa is a friend from secondary school.
un copain / une copinea friend, a mate; also a boyfriend or girlfriend
Focus: an informal relationship word whose meaning comes from context
un copain de classe · sa copine
Je révise avec des copains du cours.
I revise with friends from the class.
une connaissancean acquaintance
Focus: someone you know, perhaps only a little
une connaissance de ma sœur
Paul est une connaissance de ma sœur.
Paul is an acquaintance of my sister’s.
Who is coming tonight? Play Alex’s part
- Camille
Tu connais déjà les autres ?
English
Do you already know the others?
- Alex
Oui. Léa est une amie du lycée. On se connaît depuis dix ans.
Introduce Léa as a school friend you have known for ten years.
English
Yes. Léa is a friend from secondary school. We’ve known each other for ten years.
- Camille
Et Noé, tu le connais comment ?
English
And Noé, how do you know him?
- Alex
C’est un copain du cours de français. On révise ensemble le jeudi.
Say Noé is a friend from French class and you revise together on Thursdays.
English
He’s a friend from French class. We revise together on Thursdays.
- Camille
Vous vous entendez bien ?
English
Do you get on well?
- Alex
Oui, très bien ! Et il est toujours de bonne humeur.
Say you get on very well and he is always in a good mood.
English
Yes, very well! And he’s always in a good mood.
- Camille
Tu connais aussi Paul ?
English
Do you know Paul too?
- Alex
Un peu. C’est une connaissance de ma sœur. On s’est parlé deux ou trois fois.
Say you know Paul a little through your sister and have spoken a few times.
English
A little. He’s an acquaintance of my sister’s. We’ve spoken two or three times.
- Camille
Yanis vient avec sa copine, c’est ça ?
English
Yanis is coming with his girlfriend, is that right?
- Alex
Oui, avec Emma. Ils sont en couple depuis un an.
Confirm that Emma is coming and they have been a couple for a year.
English
Yes, with Emma. They’ve been a couple for a year.
- Camille
Et Clara, c’est qui ?
English
And who is Clara?
- Alex
C’est mon amie de l’université. Tu vas bien t’entendre avec elle !
Introduce Clara as your university friend and say they will get on well.
English
She’s my friend from university. You’ll get on well with her!
Ami or amie, copain or copine: how does the gender change?
| Meaning | French | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| My female friend | mon amie Clara | Use mon before the vowel in amie. The noun stays feminine. |
| My female friend or girlfriend | ma copine | The following consonant allows ma. The conversation supplies the relationship. |
| A male acquaintance | Paul est une connaissance. | The noun connaissance stays feminine when it refers to Paul. |
Ami and copain can describe the same person: Noé est un bon copain. C’est aussi un ami proche. The extra words say more about the friendship. For an introduction, une amie du lycée, un copain du cours and une connaissance de ma sœur each give your listener a useful connection.
J’ai des connaissances en histoire.
I have some knowledge of history.
With a subject after en, connaissances refers to knowledge. Compare une connaissance de ma sœur, which refers to a person.