How do you say "ancient" in French?

Ancien

Adjective Noun

In French, "ancient" is Ancien.

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Say ahn-syan, the exact same word used for old, with two nasal sounds through the nose.

Grammar notes

Ancien is a adjective used the same way as its English equivalent.

Example sentence

Ils étudièrent un temple ancien.

They studied an ancient temple.

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How to remember Ancien

Ancien covers both old and ancient in French, so one ancient statue image covers both meanings.

Related words

Browse all French words in the glossary.

Questions about Ancien

How do you pronounce Ancien?

Say ahn-syan, the exact same word used for old, with two nasal sounds through the nose.

Is Ancien formal or casual?

Ancien is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is Ancien used in French?

Ancien is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: Ils étudièrent un temple ancien. (They studied an ancient temple.).

Where can I practice French words for free?

You can play free French minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the French glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Ancient" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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