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Essential French Expression
| Meaning | at first sight, in principle; should | |
| Literally | from the earlier | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  | [ah pree uh ree] |
| IPA | [a pri jɔ ʁi] | |
Usage notes: I’ve never heard the Latin phrase a priori in English, though apparently it’s used in philosophy and statistics. But in French, a priori is a common, everyday expression meaning "at first sight" or "in principle."
Par exemple…
| A priori, oui. | At first sight, yes. My initial response is yes. | |
| A priori, on commence à 19h. | In principle / Normally, we start at 7pm. |
Synonyms
- à première vue – at first sight
- au début – at first, in the beginning
- au premier abord – at first sight, initially
- en principe – in principle
Antonym: a posteriori – after the event, upon consideration, with hindsight
It’s often more natural to translate a priori somewhat loosely, along the lines of "seems to be" or "should."
Par exemple…
| A priori, c’est une bonne idée ! | That seems like a good idea! | |
| Le feu, a priori d’origine accidentelle, a pris dans le dépôt. | The fire, which seems to have been accidental, began in the warehouse. | |
| A priori, il arrivera vers midi. | He should / He’s supposed to arrive around noon. |
Synonyms
- devoir in the conditional – should
- être censé – to be supposed to
- normalement – normally, if all goes as expected
- sembler être – to seem to be
A priori in action
Examples of a priori in real-life videos from Lawless French Immersion:
| Donc a priori, l’équipe de France, oui, posera un genou à terre | So it seems that, yes, the French national team will put a knee down | |
| Video: Kneeling gesture at Euro 2021 sparks controversy | ||
| Je vous invite à aller vers l’étranger, l’étrange, celui qui ne vous ressemble pas, a priori, qui est bizarre. | I invite you to go to the stranger, the strange one, the one who doesn’t look like you, at first sight, the odd one. | |
| Video: The African kimono | ||
And a priori can mean "without any consideration" or "point blank."
Par exemple…
| Il ne faut pas refuser a priori. | You shouldn’t refuse without considering it. | |
| Elle a rejeté a priori notre proposition. | She rejected our proposal point-blank. |
Synonyms
- à brûle-pourpoint – brusquely
- catégoriquement – point-blank, categorically
- de but en blanc – suddenly, just like that
- en bloc – out of hand, outright
- nettement – flatly, clearly
- tout net – flatly, clearly
A priori is also an invariable noun meaning "prejudice" or "bias."
Par exemple…
| Les a priori n’ont aucune place dans la justice. | Bias has no place in justice. | |
| Considerez les faits sans a priori. | Consider the facts with an open mind. |
Synonyms
- un parti pris
- un penchant
- un préjugé
More Latin in French: fluctuat nec mergitur
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