En l'occurrence: point to this particular case in French

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Use en l’occurrence for the particular French case under discussion, contrasting it with en général, en cas de and occasionnellement.

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In short

En l’occurrence means “in this particular case”. It points to the actual case being discussed: Il faut vérifier les moyens ; en l’occurrence, deux agents sont disponibles. It does not mean “occasionally”, and it differs from hypothetical en cas de.

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Rows of desks and chairs face screens in Lahti City Hall’s attic meeting room.
A meeting setting suits the case-specific staffing discussion; en l’occurrence singles out the actual case being discussed. Photo: Trogain / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · resized and converted to WebP; derivative under the same licence.

A committee is discussing whether to open a study room on Thursday evening. Someone makes a general point about staffing. En l’occurrence brings the discussion back to the staff available for this Thursday. The expression narrows the scope rather than counting how often something happens.

ExpressionScopeExample
en l’occurrenceThe actual case under discussionEn l’occurrence, deux agents sont disponibles jeudi.
en généralA general patternEn général, le service ferme à dix-huit heures.
en cas deA possible event and its conditionEn cas d’absence, prévenez la coordinatrice.
occasionnellementFrequency: from time to timeLa salle ouvre occasionnellement en soirée.

Make the referent recoverable

Toute extension des horaires exige des moyens d’accueil adaptés. En l’occurrence, une agente volontaire peut assurer la soirée du 12 juin.

Every extension of opening hours requires suitable reception staffing. In this case, one volunteer staff member can cover the evening of 12 June.

The date and named arrangement make the actual case clear. If you remove them and discuss a possible future absence, en cas de is more appropriate. If you compare usual schedules, en général serves another purpose. These phrases are not formal synonyms; each changes the kind of claim the sentence makes.

Question 1No account needed
Which phrase means “from time to time”?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

occasionnellement. Occasionnellement describes frequency. En l’occurrence singles out the case currently discussed.

Question 2No account needed
The team is discussing this Thursday’s actual staffing. Which introduction fits?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

En l’occurrence, deux personnes sont présentes.. En l’occurrence frames the specific established case.

Question 3No account needed
Does the expression by itself prove the case facts?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

No, the factual detail still needs its evidence.. A case-framing expression narrows scope; it does not verify the statement that follows.

Use the phrase where a general claim could otherwise be mistaken for the conclusion about every situation. Then state the concrete detail that makes this case relevant. Repetition of en l’occurrence without a clear case gives the reader little help.

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