When a French speaker introduces examples, the choice of marker is far from arbitrary. Par exemple is the universal for example, fine in any register. Comme and tel que both translate as such as, but the first is informal and the second formal. Notamment picks out a salient member with emphasis. Entre autres signals among other things, but I am only naming these. À savoir completes a list rather than illustrating it. Each does a different rhetorical job — picking the right one is one of the clearest markers of fluent French.
This page sorts out the six most useful example-introducers, contrasts them with the closely related family of clarifiers (c'est-à-dire, autrement dit), and shows the agreement rules that trip up learners — especially the surprisingly tricky tel(le)(s) que.
The headline summary
| Marker | Core function | Pragmatic flavour | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| par exemple | for example | universal example | neutral, very common |
| comme | such as, like | informal example | neutral/informal |
| tel(le)(s) que | such as | formal example, agreement required | formal/written |
| notamment | notably, especially | salient member, emphasis | neutral/written |
| entre autres | among others, among other things | partial list, more left unsaid | neutral |
| à savoir | namely, that is | complete specification | neutral/written |
A working rule: par exemple is always safe; comme is the casual such as; tel que is its formal counterpart with mandatory agreement; notamment emphasises one member; entre autres signals partial enumeration; à savoir lists completely.
Par exemple: the universal for example
Par exemple is the workhorse. It introduces an example, no register restriction, no agreement issue, and works in any sentence position. If you know only one example-introducer, par exemple will get you through every situation.
J'aime les fruits, par exemple les pommes et les poires.
I like fruit, for example apples and pears.
On peut faire du sport, par exemple de la natation ou du vélo.
You can do sport, for example swimming or cycling.
Par exemple, le mot *hôtel* prend un accent circonflexe.
For example, the word *hôtel* has a circumflex.
The structure is fixed: par exemple + noun phrase (or clause). It can sit at the start of a sentence, in the middle, or at the end:
Tu pourrais inviter quelqu'un, ton frère par exemple.
You could invite someone, your brother for example.
On a visité plusieurs villes — Lyon, Bordeaux et Toulouse, par exemple.
We visited several cities — Lyon, Bordeaux and Toulouse, for example.
End-position par exemple is especially natural after a list of items. In writing, the abbreviation p. ex. is occasionally used, paralleling English e.g.
Les langues romanes (p. ex. le français, l'italien, l'espagnol) descendent du latin.
Romance languages (e.g., French, Italian, Spanish) descend from Latin.
Comme: such as, like
Comme is the most common alternative to par exemple in casual French. It introduces examples directly, without a comma-separated parenthetical structure, and is the closest French gets to English like in its example-giving sense.
Des fruits comme la pomme et la poire.
Fruit such as apples and pears.
J'aime les sports comme la natation ou le vélo.
I like sports like swimming or cycling.
Des villes comme Paris, Lyon et Marseille.
Cities such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
The structure is [noun] comme [example(s)] — comme directly introduces the examples, integrated into the noun phrase. This is more concise than par exemple but limited to noun-phrase examples.
Comme has many other uses
Be careful: comme is one of the most polysemous words in French. Beyond its example-introducer role, it can mean as, like, since, how (in exclamations), and is part of many fixed expressions.
Comme il est tard, je rentre.
Since it's late, I'm going home. (causal *as*)
Il chante comme un pro.
He sings like a pro. (comparison)
Comme c'est gentil !
How kind! (exclamation)
In context the example-introducer use is clear, but be aware that comme alone in a sentence is ambiguous between several functions.
Comme par exemple — redundant or natural?
A frequent spoken combination is comme par exemple — like for example. Strict grammarians condemn this as redundant (both comme and par exemple introduce an example), but it is extraordinarily common in casual speech and signals nothing more than relaxed register.
Des fruits, comme par exemple la pomme.
Fruit, like for example the apple.
Tu pourrais faire un sport, comme par exemple le tennis.
You could do a sport, like for example tennis.
In writing, prefer one or the other — comme la pomme or par exemple la pomme. In speech, the combination is fine.
Tel(le)(s) que: such as, formal — agreement required
Tel que is the (formal/written) counterpart of comme. It carries the same example-introducing meaning but is more elegant, more careful, and — critically — must agree in gender and number with the noun it introduces.
Des arbres tels que le chêne et le hêtre.
Trees such as the oak and the beech.
Une langue telle que le français.
A language such as French.
Des qualités telles que la patience et la rigueur.
Qualities such as patience and rigour.
The agreement rule:
- tel — masculine singular: un livre tel que celui-ci
- telle — feminine singular: une langue telle que le français
- tels — masculine plural: des arbres tels que le chêne
- telles — feminine plural: des qualités telles que la patience
This is one of the most-missed agreements in French writing — even native speakers slip up. The reflex must be: what is the head noun being illustrated? Match tel(le)(s) to that.
❌ Des langues tel que le français.
*Tel* must agree with *langues* (feminine plural) → *telles*
✅ Des langues telles que le français.
Languages such as French.
Tel que in writing
Tel que is at home in academic writing, journalism, and any prose that aims for formality. It is rarer in casual speech, where comme dominates.
Des phénomènes naturels tels que les tremblements de terre et les éruptions volcaniques.
Natural phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Des artistes tels que Monet, Manet et Renoir.
Artists such as Monet, Manet and Renoir.
Tel quel and other expressions
Be aware: tel appears in many other constructions where it is not an example-introducer.
Je l'ai laissé tel quel.
I left it as is.
Telle est ma décision.
Such is my decision.
Un tel comportement est inacceptable.
Such behaviour is unacceptable.
These are different uses of tel, with their own agreement patterns. The example-introducer tel(le)(s) que is just one of several constructions.
Notamment: notably, especially
Notamment introduces an example with emphasis — the speaker is singling out one or more salient members of a class as particularly worth mentioning. English notably, especially, in particular captures the flavour.
Plusieurs auteurs ont traité ce sujet, notamment Sartre et Camus.
Several authors have dealt with this subject, notably Sartre and Camus.
Le pays exporte beaucoup de produits, notamment du vin et du fromage.
The country exports many products, notably wine and cheese.
Notamment dans les grandes villes, le coût de la vie augmente.
Especially in big cities, the cost of living is rising.
The pragmatic effect is to highlight — the speaker is not just giving an example; they are saying of all the possible examples, this one is worth your attention. Notamment is neutral/written and slightly more polished than par exemple.
Notamment vs par exemple
The two markers overlap but are not synonyms. Par exemple says here is one of many possible examples; notamment says here is a particularly salient example.
Il aime plusieurs sports, par exemple le tennis.
He likes several sports, for example tennis. (just an example)
Il aime plusieurs sports, notamment le tennis.
He likes several sports, especially tennis. (singling out tennis)
In writing, notamment is often the better choice when the example you are giving is the example — the most important member of the class for your purposes.
Entre autres: among others
Entre autres (literally between others) introduces a partial list — the speaker is naming some examples but signalling that there are more they are not bothering to enumerate. English among others, among other things captures the flavour.
J'ai visité plusieurs musées, entre autres le Louvre et Orsay.
I visited several museums, among others the Louvre and Orsay.
Il a fait beaucoup de choses, entre autres écrire un livre et fonder une entreprise.
He's done many things, among other things written a book and founded a company.
On a parlé de tout, entre autres de politique.
We talked about everything, among other things politics.
The pragmatic effect is acknowledgement of incompleteness — I am giving you some examples but there are more. This is useful when listing all the items would be tedious or impossible.
Entre autres — invariable
Entre autres is invariable — the autres never agrees. There is no entre autre (singular) or entre autress (plural form). Always entre autres.
❌ Il a écrit plusieurs livres, entre autre *Les Misérables*.
*Entre autres* is invariable; the spelling is *autres* with an *s*
✅ Il a écrit plusieurs livres, entre autres *Les Misérables*.
He wrote several books, among others *Les Misérables*.
Entre autres choses
The variant entre autres choses is also correct and slightly more deliberate.
Il s'occupe, entre autres choses, de la comptabilité.
Among other things, he handles the accounting.
À savoir: namely, complete specification
À savoir (covered in detail on the c'est-à-dire page) belongs to this family too — it introduces a complete enumeration of the items in question.
Trois pays sont concernés, à savoir la France, la Belgique et la Suisse.
Three countries are affected, namely France, Belgium and Switzerland.
Il a passé deux examens, à savoir le bac et le permis de conduire.
He took two exams, namely the bac and the driving test.
The pragmatic difference from par exemple and notamment is that à savoir signals completeness — these are the items, not a sample. If you say trois pays, à savoir la France, la Belgique et la Suisse, you are claiming that those are all three; par exemple would imply there are more.
Side-by-side comparison
The same statement realised with each marker:
J'aime les fruits, par exemple les pommes et les poires.
I like fruit, for example apples and pears. (one possible example)
J'aime les fruits comme les pommes et les poires.
I like fruit like apples and pears. (informal example)
J'aime les fruits tels que les pommes et les poires.
I like fruit such as apples and pears. (formal example, agreement)
J'aime les fruits, notamment les pommes et les poires.
I like fruit, especially apples and pears. (singling out)
J'aime les fruits, entre autres les pommes et les poires.
I like fruit, among others apples and pears. (partial list)
J'aime deux fruits, à savoir les pommes et les poires.
I like two fruits, namely apples and pears. (complete list)
All six are correct French. Each one carries a slightly different rhetorical signal: how exhaustive is the list, how salient are the named items, how formal is the register?
Position and punctuation
Par exemple is usually set off with commas:
Les fruits, par exemple les pommes, contiennent des vitamines.
Fruit — for example apples — contains vitamins.
Comme and tel(le)(s) que are integrated into the noun phrase without commas:
Les fruits comme les pommes contiennent des vitamines.
Fruit such as apples contains vitamins.
Les fruits tels que les pommes contiennent des vitamines.
Fruit such as apples contains vitamins.
Notamment and entre autres are typically set off with commas, like par exemple:
Les fruits, notamment les pommes, contiennent des vitamines.
Fruit, especially apples, contains vitamins.
Les fruits, entre autres les pommes, contiennent des vitamines.
Fruit, among others apples, contains vitamins.
Writing well with example-introducers
Stylistically, good French writing varies its example-introducers across a paragraph. Repeating par exemple three times in a single text reads as monotonous; alternating with notamment, tels que, and entre autres gives prose more texture.
Plusieurs pays européens, notamment la France et l'Allemagne, ont signé l'accord. Cet accord couvre divers domaines, par exemple le commerce et l'environnement. Des pays voisins tels que la Suisse pourraient s'y joindre, entre autres pour des raisons économiques.
Several European countries, notably France and Germany, signed the agreement. This agreement covers various areas, for example trade and the environment. Neighbouring countries such as Switzerland could join, among other reasons for economic ones.
This rotation of markers — notamment, par exemple, tels que, entre autres — is exactly what distinguishes well-written French from a learner's first draft.
Common mistakes
❌ Des langues tel que le français.
*Tel* must agree with the noun *langues* (feminine plural) → *telles*
✅ Des langues telles que le français.
Languages such as French.
❌ Des fruits comme les pommes par exemple notamment.
Don't stack three example-introducers — pick one
✅ Des fruits comme les pommes.
Fruits such as apples.
❌ Il a écrit plusieurs livres, entre autre Les Misérables.
*Entre autres* is invariable; the *s* is mandatory
✅ Il a écrit plusieurs livres, entre autres Les Misérables.
He wrote several books, among others Les Misérables.
❌ Trois pays, par exemple la France, la Belgique et la Suisse.
If you mean *exactly these three*, use *à savoir*; *par exemple* implies there are more
✅ Trois pays, à savoir la France, la Belgique et la Suisse.
Three countries, namely France, Belgium and Switzerland.
❌ Le pays exporte de nombreux produits, par exemple notamment le vin.
*Notamment* and *par exemple* are mutually exclusive — pick one
✅ Le pays exporte de nombreux produits, notamment le vin.
The country exports many products, especially wine.
❌ Comme je vous ai dit par exemple il faut vérifier.
*Comme* here means *as*, not *for example*; the example marker is just *par exemple*
✅ Comme je vous l'ai dit, il faut par exemple vérifier les chiffres.
As I told you, you need for example to check the figures.
The first error is the agreement trap on tel que — by far the most-missed agreement in formal French writing. The second is stacking redundant example-introducers, common in spoken speech but visible in writing. The third is the invariable form of entre autres — autres always carries the s. The fourth is using par exemple where à savoir is more accurate (giving a complete list, not a sample). The fifth combines two example-introducers redundantly. The sixth shows the polysemy trap of comme: in comme je vous ai dit, comme means as (causal/temporal), not such as.
Why example-introducers matter
French rewards explicit illustration. Native speakers introduce examples constantly — far more often than English speakers — and the choice of marker shapes the rhetorical force of the example. A learner who only ever says par exemple sounds robotic; a learner who can rotate through notamment, tels que, entre autres sounds genuinely fluent.
The investment is small: pick three or four examples a week and rephrase them with each marker. Within a month the alternation will become automatic, and your French will read and sound noticeably more polished.
Key takeaways
- Par exemple is the universal example-introducer — works in every register.
- Comme is the informal such as, integrated into the noun phrase.
- Tel(le)(s) que is the formal such as — agreement with the head noun is mandatory.
- Notamment singles out a salient example (especially).
- Entre autres signals a partial list — invariable, always with final s.
- À savoir introduces a complete enumeration — these are the items.
- The combination comme par exemple is redundant in writing but accepted in speech.
- Vary your example-introducers across a paragraph for more polished prose.
Now practice French
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