Get the app
French frequency list

No. 2,213 in French

détenu

"Détenu" means "prisoner" or "detainee" in English.

In a sentence

  • Il a été détenu par la police pour enquête.

    He was detained by the police for questioning.

    In this sentence, 'détenu' is used as a verb participle to describe the act of being detained by authorities.

  • Le détenu a demandé à parler avec son avocat.

    The inmate asked to speak with his lawyer.

    In this sentence, 'détenu' is used as a noun referring to a person who is held in custody, typically in a prison.

  • Elle se sentait détenue par ses propres peurs.

    She felt held back by her own fears.

    In this sentence, 'détenu' metaphorically represents being restrained, conveying emotional or psychological confinement.

Hear it in real podcasts

The recording above is a synthetic voice. Hear how people say “détenu” in actual French podcasts.

Find “détenu” in podcasts

Learn it from shows you like

LangTurbo plays French podcasts with a transcript and the English under every line. Tap a word like this one and it tells you what it means right there.

Get the app

French books and courses on Amazon (an affiliate link: a purchase through it supports this site).