Common mistakes
Sanctionner in French: punish, approve or formally recognise?
Use the object and institutional context to interpret sanctionner: punishment, formal assent or recognition. Compare six extracts and repair misleading readings.
- C1
- 3 corrections
- Examples and fixes
- Learn this in the C1 notebook →
In short
Sanctionner commonly means to penalise, but it can also mean to give formal approval or mark official recognition. Compare sanctionner une faute (punish misconduct), sanctionner une loi (give formal assent to a law) and un diplôme qui sanctionne des études (a qualification marking their completion).
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- sanctionner une fauteto approve a mistaketo punish misconduct
La commission a sanctionné cette faute par un avertissement.The committee punished this misconduct with a warning.
The penalty after par makes the punitive sense explicit.
- sanctionner une loito penalise a lawto give formal assent to a law
Dans ce texte historique, le souverain sanctionne la loi.In this historical text, the sovereign gives assent to the law.
This formal institutional use expresses approval; identify the actor and the object.
- sanctionner des étudesto punish someone for studyingto mark or certify completion of studies
Ce diplôme sanctionne trois années d’études.This qualification marks the completion of three years of study.
English usually needs “marks completion of” or “is awarded after”.
| French extract | Meaning | Decisive context |
|---|---|---|
| sanctionner un salarié pour une faute | penalise an employee for misconduct | A person plus the reason introduced by pour. |
| sanctionner un manquement par une exclusion | punish a breach with exclusion | The stated adverse consequence. |
| un examen sanctionne la formation | an examination formally assesses the training at its end | Training and an examination. |
| le souverain sanctionne la loi | the sovereign gives formal assent to the law | A historical institutional act. |
| le vote sanctionne l’échec du gouvernement | the vote expresses disapproval of the government’s failure | Failure and electoral rejection. |
The object is a strong clue, but it works with the rest of the sentence. A qualification may sanctionner une formation without punishing anyone. A committee may sanctionner un candidat by disqualifying them. If a short headline leaves the consequence unstated, look for the decision in the next sentence.
Does sanctionner mean punish or approve?
La commission sanctionne le candidat pour fraude : il est exclu du concours.
The committee penalises the candidate for cheating: he is disqualified from the competition.
Le certificat sanctionne la réussite à l’examen final.
The certificate formally recognises success in the final examination.
- The certificate punishes successful completion of the course.The certificate recognises successful completion of the course.
In Le certificat sanctionne la réussite à la formation, certification supplies the sense.
- The committee approved the breach by excluding the member.The committee punished the breach by excluding the member.
In sanctionner le manquement par une exclusion, exclusion is the penalty.
- The sovereign penalised the law.The sovereign gave formal assent to the law.
For the historical institutional act sanctionner la loi, choose formal assent.