En cas de
Example: Prends un parapluie en cas de pluie demain.
Definition
"En cas de" is a French prepositional phrase used to indicate a condition or possibility, meaning 'in case of.' It introduces a situation or event that might happen, often to suggest precaution or preparation, as in 'Take an umbrella en cas de pluie demain.'
Etymology
The phrase "en cas de" comes from Old French, where "en" means 'in,' "cas" means 'case' or 'event,' and "de" means 'of.' It literally translates to 'in case of,' used to denote a possibility. Did you know? The word "cas" traces back to Latin "casus," meaning 'fall' or 'event,' highlighting how language captures unexpected occurrences.
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"En cas de" appears in the Vocaplus list "French - General - (A2) - set 3", containing 116 commonly used words.
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