L'imprévu (en. The unexpected)

/lɛ̃.pʁə.vy/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

An unpredictable or unexpected event.

The unforeseen disrupted all our plans.

L'imprévu a perturbé tous nos plans.

A situation that cannot be anticipated.

One must always be prepared for the unexpected.

Il faut toujours se préparer à l'imprévu.

An unplanned expense.

I had to face a financial surprise this month.

J'ai dû faire face à un imprévu financier ce mois-ci.

From the prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' and 'prévu', from the verb 'prévoir'.

face the unexpected

Face an unexpected situation.

faire face à l'imprévu

anticipate the unexpected

Anticipate unforeseen events.

prévoir l'imprévu

budget for contingencies

Have a financial reserve for unexpected expenses.

budget pour les imprévus

unpredictable

That cannot be predicted.

imprévisible

forecast

The action of predicting, of planning.

prévision

planning

The act of preparing a plan.

planification

surprise

An unexpected event often pleasant or shocking.

surprise

A twist of fate

This schedule change is a real twist of fate.

Ce changement de programme, c'est un vrai coup du sort.

A grain of sand in the machinery

This unexpected event is a grain of sand in the machinery of our project.

Cet imprévu est un grain de sable dans l'engrenage de notre projet.