Common mistakes
Sympathique does not mean sympathetic: choose friendly or compassionate
Describe a friendly colleague, a compassionate look or an understanding manager. Correct the sympathetic/sympathique trap with scenes and a short quiz.
- B1
- 2 corrections
- Examples and fixes
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In short
Sympathique means nice, friendly or likeable. Compatissant means compassionate towards someone’s distress. For an understanding response, compréhensif often fits English “sympathetic”; for support for an idea, use favorable à.
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- sympathiquesympathetic to someone’s sufferingfriendly, nice, likeable
Ma nouvelle collègue est très sympathique.My new colleague is very friendly.
For a compassionate look, say un regard compatissant.
- compatissantgenerally friendly or sociablecompassionate towards someone in distress
Elle lui adresse un regard compatissant.She gives him a sympathetic look.
For a friendly welcome, say un accueil sympathique.
Does sympathique mean sympathetic?
- Inès
Tu connais la nouvelle collègue ?
Do you know the new colleague?
- Paul
Oui, elle est sympathique. Elle m’a proposé de déjeuner avec l’équipe.
Yes, she’s friendly. She suggested I have lunch with the team.
- Inès
Et quand tu lui as parlé de ton chien ?
And when you told her about your dog?
- Paul
Je lui ai dit qu’il était mort. Elle m’a écouté avec beaucoup de compassion.
I told her he had died. She listened to me with a lot of compassion.
The lunch invitation shows friendliness. Listening to Paul’s grief shows compassion. A person can be both sympathique and compatissante. The adjectives describe different qualities rather than opposite personalities.
| English meaning | French phrase | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Friendly or likeable | sympathique | Une voisine sympathique nous accueille. |
| Compassionate | compatissant / compatissante | Elle lui adresse un regard compatissant. |
| Understanding | compréhensif / compréhensive | Ma responsable est compréhensive. |
| In favour of an idea | favorable à | Je suis favorable à cette proposition. |
How do sympathique and compatissant agree?
Un collègue sympathique, une collègue sympathique.
A friendly male colleague, a friendly female colleague.
Des regards compatissants, des paroles compatissantes.
Compassionate looks, compassionate words.
Il est compréhensif ; elle est compréhensive.
He is understanding; she is understanding.
Sympathique keeps the same form in the masculine and feminine singular; its plural is sympathiques. Compatissant adds -e in the feminine and -s in the plural. In conversation, Je comprends or Je suis désolé pour toi can convey sympathy more directly than describing your own attitude.