French · Real conversations
How to say “Have we met before?” in French
Check whether you recognize someone from an earlier encounter.
On s'est déjà rencontrés ?
Have we met before?
You can add the place where you think the encounter happened.
Use it in three situations
A familiar face
On s'est déjà rencontrés ?
Have we met before?
Remembering a class
On s'est déjà rencontrés à un cours ?
Have we met before at a class?
Recognizing someone at an event
On s'est déjà rencontrés à cet événement ?
Have we met before at this event?
What to watch for
Treat this as a genuine question rather than insisting that the other person remembers you.
Read the whole expression before replacing a detail. The natural wording may use a different order or construction from the English sentence.
Your turn
Imagine meeting people. Say this in French: Have we met before at a class?
Reveal a sample reply
On s'est déjà rencontrés à un cours ?
Have we met before at a class?
Build a useful exchange
Start a friendly exchange and find a connection.
This expression in other languages
A note on speaking French
Use vous with strangers, staff, and people you address formally; use tu when that relationship is established. Je voudrais and pourriez-vous can make a request considerate. The most appropriate choice depends on the person and the situation.
Keep accents and apostrophes. A familiar spoken expression may differ from its literal English translation. Read the complete line, including the pronoun and the words that connect the request.
