What does espoir in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word espoir in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use espoir in French.

The word espoir in French means hope, hope, hope, have high hopes + [indicative], have high hopes that + [indicative], have high hopes of doing, in the hope of doing , in hopes of doing, in the hope that, false hope, stay hopeful, keep hope alive, new talent, where there's life there's hope, we live in hope, hope springs eternal, glimmer of hope, message of hope, slim chance, harbour the hope of doing, lose hope, lose hope of, some hope, hopeless, Where there's life, there's hope, glimmer of hope. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word espoir

hope

nom masculin (espérance)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce prisonnier a toujours gardé espoir en sa libération.
The prisoner never lost hope of being freed.

hope

nom masculin (recours)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Cette démarche est son dernier espoir.
The appeal court is his very last hope.

hope

nom masculin (personne prometteuse) (last chance)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce joueur est un des espoirs du rugby français.
He is one of French rugby's promising players.

have high hopes + [indicative], have high hopes that + [indicative]

locution verbale (être optimiste quant à [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
J'ai bon espoir que les ouvriers finissent les travaux avant l'automne.

have high hopes of doing

(être optimiste quant à [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mon fils a bon espoir de remporter la compétition.

in the hope of doing , in hopes of doing

(en espérant faire [qch])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Gabriel avait révisé toute la nuit dans l'espoir de réussir son examen de maths.

in the hope that

locution conjonction (en espérant que)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Le petit garçon avait préparé un gâteau à sa mère dans l'espoir qu'elle lui pardonne sa bêtise de la veille.

false hope

nom masculin (espoir déçu)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

stay hopeful, keep hope alive

locution verbale (continuer d'être optimiste)

new talent

nom masculin (jeune promis à un brillant avenir)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

where there's life there's hope, we live in hope, hope springs eternal

(l'espoir est le moteur de la vie)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

glimmer of hope

nom féminin (petit espoir) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

message of hope

nom masculin (message incitant à espérer)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

slim chance

nom féminin (faible espoir, probabilité infime)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

harbour the hope of doing

(espérer faire [qch]) (UK)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

lose hope

locution verbale (désespérer)

lose hope of

(ne plus croire en [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

some hope

locution adverbiale (un tant soit peu d'espoir)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
S'il y a quelque espoir de le sauver, opérez-le.

hopeless

locution adjectivale (désespéré, vain)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cette cause est malheureusement sans espoir.

Where there's life, there's hope

(il faut toujours garder espoir)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

glimmer of hope

nom féminin (mince espoir)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

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So now that you know more about the meaning of espoir in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.