Learn How to Pronounce En garde, prêts, allez !
(Listen to the audio above for the stress and intonation)
The Expert's Take
Meaning and Context
In the sport of fencing, the sequence "En garde, prêts, allez !" constitutes the essential and universally recognized verbal commands issued by the director to commence an assault. These French phrases, translating directly to "On guard," "Ready," and "Go!" respectively, are mandated by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the sport's global governing body, ensuring a standardized and clear start to every fencing bout across foil, épée, and sabre disciplines. Upon hearing "En garde," fencers assume their preparatory stance; "prêts" signals them to become immobile and focused; and the final, sharp command "allez" unleashes the action, initiating the phrase d'armes where points are scored. This ritualistic cadence is fundamental to fencing rules and etiquette, deeply embedded in the sport's heritage and modern competitive structure, creating a moment of heightened anticipation for both athletes and spectators at Olympic Games and local tournaments alike.
Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings
Given its French origin and use in international sport, the phrase is subject to frequent anglicization and typographical errors. The most common mistake is omitting the grave accent on "prêts," writing it as "prets." The singular form "prêt" is also sometimes incorrectly used when addressing two fencers, though the plural "prêts" is standard. The command "En garde" is often written without the space as "Engarde," or with an incorrect hyphen as "En-garde." The final term "allez" may be misspelled as "alle" or "aley." Furthermore, the entire sequence is sometimes punctuated inconsistently, with commas, exclamation points, or periods used in varying orders. It is correctly presented with commas separating the first two commands and an exclamation point following "allez," as in: "En garde, prêts, allez !"
Example Sentences
The referee raised her hand, and the packed arena fell silent as she called out, "En garde, prêts, allez !" Before the final syllable of "allez" had fully left the director's mouth, the sabreur launched a devastating attack.
New fencers spend their first lessons diligently practicing their movements in response to the cadence of "En garde, prêts, allez."
A false start before the command "allez" can result in a penalty card from the officiating team.
The rhythmic, authoritative call of "En garde, prêts, allez !" is as iconic to the sport of fencing as the sound of blades clashing.
Sources and References
I relied on official fencing regulations from the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) and standard French phonetic rules found in the Larousse dictionary to confirm the stress patterns of these commands.
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