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French Expression
| Meaning | pending, awaiting delivery, held up | |
| Literally | in suffering | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[a(n) soo fra(n)s] |
| IPA | [ã su frãs] | |
Usage notes: The French expression en souffrance is a lot less painful than it sounds, as it just means “pending” or “awaiting delivery.”
On the other hand, if you’re waiting in agony for treatment, test results, or news of a loved one, en souffrance is a lot more descriptive than its English translation.
Par exemple…
| Voici les dossiers en souffrance. | Here are the pending files. | |
| Cette commande est en souffrance. | That order is held up/awaiting delivery. | |
| Les colis sont en souffrance à l’usine. | The packages are held up at the factory. |
Somewhat synonymous
- attendu – long-awaited, expected
- en attente – pending, on hold
- en instance – pending
- en suspens – suspended, in suspension
- impayé – unpaid
- pendant – pending
Related verbs
While la souffrance does generally mean "suffering," as in la souffrance physique et mentale, once it’s preceded by en it’s a faux ami.
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Learn how to translate French infinitives, imperatives, and participles into English.
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