Compensatory French Expression
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| Meaning | to make up for it, in compensation, at least | |
| Literally | in revenge | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[a(n) reu va(n)sh] |
| IPA | [ã ʁə vãʃ] | |
Usage notes: The French expression en revanche is the opposite of vengeful: it introduces a clause that contrasts with the preceding one in a supportive or positive way.
Par exemple…
| Zut, je n’ai reçu qu’une réponse à mon article. En revanche, elle est positive ! | Darn, I’ve only received one response to my article. But at least it’s positive! | |
| Ce travail ne paie pas bien ; en revanche, c’est très marrant ! | This work doesn’t pay well, but to make up for it, it’s really fun! | |
| Je suis enfant unique ; en revanche, j’ai 13 cousins. | I’m an only child, but in compensation I have 13 cousins. |
En revanche is often proposed as an alternative to par contre, but they’re really two sides of the same idiomatic coin. While en revanche introduces a supportive second clause, par contre introduces a second clause that detracts from the first.
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