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These three nouns are similar on the surface. Can they all work?

  • Merci d'avoir été un compagnon de voyage agréable.
  • Merci d'avoir été une compagne de voyage agréable.
  • Merci d'avoir été une compagnie de voyage agréable.
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  • Why would you say: Merci d'avoir [any of those]? Merci d'avoir means: you should have one.
    – Lambie
    Oct 16, 2016 at 14:52

2 Answers 2

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The next is for a men genre, but not only, because " compagnon " is like " companion / mate ", and it's not wrong to use this when you talk to a girl :

Merci d'avoir été un compagnon de voyage agréable.

This one is for a women genre, less used because the first one is also correct for women.

Merci d'avoir été une compagne de voyage agréable.

The last one, is the idea of travelling company, or I understand it like that, but when we think about it, it's not totally wrong for a group of person to say that. Grammatically it's correct.

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  • 1
    +1 for covering well all the points of the question as asked. For an option that would permit the speaker to identify the companion’s gender by simply using the appropriate article, the OP could perhaps consider “Une/Un camarade de voyage.” (Of course, if the speaker feels a need to try to hide the gender [from his/her spouse, for example], then using “un compagnon” might temporarily delay the inevitable truth from being revealed!). Also, perhaps “de route” could be considered as an alternative to “de voyage” with either “un compagnon,” “une compagne,” or “un/une camarade.” cc :@Muse
    – Papa Poule
    Oct 15, 2016 at 23:14
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The first sentence is fine but only if the companion is male. Most people are unaware compagnon might oddly apply to a female. I would never use it in this case anyway.

Merci d'avoir été un compagnon de voyage agréable.

The second sentence can be used when the companion is a female. Just be aware that compagne main meaning is spouse/partner.

Merci d'avoir été une compagne de voyage agréable.

The third sentence doesn't work.

Merci d'avoir été une compagnie de voyage agréable.

Should you want to use compagnie, you could say to either a male or female travelling companion:

J'ai été enchanté/très heureux de voyager en votre compagnie.

That last suggestion would be more natural than the previous ones which might be a little bit "too well written" depending on the context.

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