compagne v. compagnon

[alan gould]

it seems a live-in girlfriend is the former while a man is the latter.  other than that i don't see 

a difference when speaking of a partner.  

 

[George Hunt]

I think you may be right but  I am a little surprised that there isanother ,related  word "une compagnonne" with ,apparently the meaning of 

"Femme laide, masculine"  (in addition to "compagne")

http://dictionnaire.education/fr/compagnonne

[Stevo]

Hi Alan, Hi george.

I don't understood very well the Alan's question because some words are a bit strange for me. However, I will try to give a correct definition concerning “Compagne” and “Compagnon”. Maybe that will allow to answer even so.

Une compagne : This word means “wife” or “girlfriend”. Someone can use “compagne” to designate the woman whom he lives, whether through a marriage or not. It's also possible to called “compagne” an ex-wife or ex-girlfriend. In this case, “ex-” is also used in French.

Examples :

- Julie est ma compagne de toujours. On se connait depuis notre adolescence.

( Julie is my wife for all time. We know each other since our teenage. )

- Stéphanie est ma nouvelle compagne. Nous nous somme rencontré pendant le mois dernier.

( Stéphanie is my new girlfriend. We met each other while the last month. )

- Jacqueline est mon ex-compagne. Nous ne vivons plus ensemble depuis le divorce.

( Jacqueline is my ex-wife. We don't live together since we are divorced. )

Un compagnon : This word means “husband” or “boyfriend”. Its usage is alike than “compagne”. That's why I don't explain with new examples... Of course, it's important to change feminine firstnames in examples above and place instead masculine firstnames... ( So, Julie, Stéphanie, Jacqueline become Jules, Stéphane et Jacques... ^^ )

For memory : Regarding LGBT people, a gay man will say “un compagnon” concerning his boyfriend and, obviously, a gay girl will say “compagne” concerning her girlfriend. Regarding trangender people, it's like they want it. Each chooses like he wants. It's free ! ( it's often the appearance who hepls to decide, in reality... )

Finally, “compagnon” also has a second usage. This word means likewise simply “friend” and is used only for men. Regarding a “friend” who is a woman, the word “amie” is most correct.

Some examples :

- “Il n'y a pas meilleur compagnon que Thomas quand nous jouons au football.”

( Thomas is my best friend when we play football. )

- “Samuel et Paul sont mes compagnons de voyage.”

( Samuel and Paul are my travel friends. )

For memory : “Compagnon” is also used concerning some artisanal workers who make a specific learning in a professional way. These specific workers are called : “compagnons du devoir”.

In addition, “une compagnonne” is never used nowadays. For saying something about an ugly women who has not sex-appeal, we say : “un tendron”. This word is masculine, but it's also correct about women.

Catch you later. ;-)