What does à propos in French mean?

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

The word à propos in French means by the way, good timing, speaking of which, about, concerning, regarding, at any given opportunity, aptly, pertinently, suitably, show presence of mind, extremely relevant, very good, inappropriately, be slow off the mark, very opportunely, very apt, very opportune, very fitting. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word à propos

by the way

locution adverbiale (d'ailleurs, au fait)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
À propos, il faut que je passe à la banque tirer du liquide.
By the way, I have to go to the bank to withdraw some cash.

good timing

nom masculin (trait de pertinence au bon moment) (in time)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il a de la présence d'esprit et de l'à-propos.
He has presence of mind and a sense of timing.

speaking of which

locution adverbiale (d'ailleurs)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
– Malheureusement, Sophie a toujours mal au genou. – À ce propos, ta cheville va mieux ?
"Unfortunately, Sophie's knee is still hurting." "Speaking of which, is your ankle better?"

about, concerning, regarding

(quant à, en parlant de)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")
À propos du salon, il faudrait changer les rideaux.
About the living room: the curtains need to be changed.

at any given opportunity

locution adverbiale (en toute occasion)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il n'hésitait pas à parler de lui à tout propos.

aptly, pertinently, suitably

locution adverbiale (de façon appropriée)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Elle répondit avec à-propos laissant son interlocuteur coi.

show presence of mind

locution verbale (réagir en fonction des circonstances)

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

extremely relevant, very good

locution adverbiale (judicieusement, adéquatement)

inappropriately

locution adverbiale (inadéquatement)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")

be slow off the mark

locution verbale (ne pas être assez réactif)

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

very opportunely

locution adverbiale (opportunément)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Ce travail arrive très à propos.
This work has arrived very opportunely.

very apt, very opportune, very fitting

locution adjectivale (opportun)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cette remarque est très à propos !
That is a very apt remark!

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of à propos 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.

Do you know about French

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.