What are French equivalents to the Latin “id est”?

Question

I know that “that is” comes from Latin “id est”, short “i.e.” and means “in other words”.

I would like to know whether there is a French equivalent for this phrase.

Note that i.e. is also used in french as is, especially (but not limited) to refering scientific work (mathematical, for instance). — mansuetus, Apr 28 '14 at 12:23

Socce · Accepted Answer · 2014-04-28T12:22:01.157

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I think the closest translation of “that is” would be “c’est-à-dire”, which litterally means “that is to say”. It can be shortened to “c-à-d” or “c.a.d.”

“Autrement dit” and “en d’autres termes” also both exactly mean “in other words”.

edited Apr 28 '14 at 12:22

answered Apr 28 '14 at 12:09

Socce

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It’s exactly what I’m looking for, the more variants the better. Much obliged! – Lucian Sava Apr 28 '14 at 12:11
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@LucianSava Note the the shortened version is not nearly as common as “i.e.” is in English, I think you should generally avoid it in formal writing. – Relaxed Apr 28 '14 at 18:05
@Annoyed, duly noted! – Lucian Sava Apr 29 '14 at 14:03

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 30 '14 at 17:42

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à savoir is the French equivalent of Latin's 'id est'

answered Apr 30 '14 at 17:42

IndigoLT

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In some contexts à savoir might be a good equivalent. But would you care to elaborate a little more? – Stéphane Gimenez Apr 30 '14 at 17:54
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"the" French equivalent? No. – Did May 02 '14 at 06:33
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I think one can une à savoir and c'est-à-dire quite interchangeably, although the latter is more common. – VH-NZZ May 03 '14 at 10:06

What are French equivalents to the Latin “id est”?

2 Answers2