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A formal agreement to purchase a product or service, typically financial or legal, often involving regular payments.
La souscription d'une assurance habitation est obligatoire.
Taking out home insurance is mandatory.
La souscription à une newsletter permet de recevoir des mises à jour.
Subscribing to a newsletter allows you to receive updates.
Commonly used in financial contexts (e.g., shares, bonds) and service agreements (e.g., insurance, memberships).
The act of signing a document to formally accept or agree to something.
La souscription du contrat a eu lieu hier.
The signing of the contract took place yesterday.
Used in legal documents to indicate agreement (e.g., contracts, petitions).
The act of contributing funds to a project or cause.
La souscription pour la nouvelle école a dépassé les attentes.
The fundraising for the new school exceeded expectations.
Often used in crowdfunding or charitable contexts.
'Souscription' implies a one-time formal agreement (e.g., signing a contract), while 'abonnement' refers to a recurring service (e.g., a magazine subscription). Example: 'La souscription de l'assurance' (signing the insurance contract) vs. 'l'abonnement au magazine' (receiving the magazine regularly).
Reserve 'souscription' for contexts involving contracts, financial instruments (e.g., shares), or official signings. For everyday services (e.g., Netflix, Spotify), use 'abonnement'.
From Latin *subscribere* (to write under), via Old French *souscrire* (to sign). Literally means 'to write under', referring to signing a document below the text.
In modern French, 'souscription' is more formal than 'abonnement' (which implies a recurring service) and is often used in financial or legal contexts. Avoid using it for informal agreements.