Phrasebook
Heureux, content or ravi: French phrases for good news
Say you are happy, pleased with a result or delighted to meet someone. Practise French reactions, adjective agreement and the patterns de and pour.
- A2
- 12 phrases
- 4 situations
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Heureux means happy, content often means pleased or satisfied, and ravi means delighted. All three can introduce a reason with de: Je suis contente du résultat, Je suis ravie de vous rencontrer. To share someone’s happiness, say Je suis content pour toi.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
A friend has good news
Use pour toi when you are pleased on your friend’s behalf.
You are pleased with a result
Use de + the thing that pleases you; de + le becomes du.
A polite introduction
Use de + infinitive for the action you are pleased about.
A happy situation
| Who feels it? | Happy | Pleased | Delighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| One man | heureux | content | ravi |
| One woman | heureuse | contente | ravie |
| Men or a mixed group | heureux | contents | ravis |
| Women | heureuses | contentes | ravies |
Content can express warm happiness, especially with vraiment or très. Ravi expresses delight and is also a familiar polite formula in introductions. Choose the reaction that fits your message; the three words are more useful as complete phrases than as points on an intensity scale.