ancien

In a sentence

• Je suis allé visiter mon ancien lycée.

  I went to visit my former high school.

  In this sentence, 'ancien' means 'former' and refers to a past association or affiliation with something.

• Cet objet ancien est précieux pour la famille.

  This ancient object is precious to the family.

  Here, 'ancien' is used to describe something very old or from the distant past.

• Lui, c'est un ancien soldat.

  He is a former soldier.

  In this context, 'ancien' denotes someone who previously held a role or position, emphasizing a previous state.