French · Real conversations
How to say “Something has come up.” in French
Explain that an unexpected matter has interrupted your plan.
J'ai un imprévu.
Something has come up.
The expression gives a brief reason without requiring private details.
Use it in three situations
A last-minute message
J'ai un imprévu.
Something has come up.
Explaining a cancellation
J'ai eu un imprévu au travail.
Something has come up at work.
Changing a social plan
J'ai eu un imprévu, donc je dois changer nos plans.
Something has come up, so I need to change our plans.
What to watch for
Use an expression for an unexpected event rather than translating physical upward movement.
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 changing plans. Say this in French: Something has come up at work.
Reveal a sample reply
J'ai eu un imprévu au travail.
Something has come up at work.
Build a useful exchange
Explain a change and offer a clear next step.
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.
