{"id":118513,"date":"2023-11-15T09:25:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T14:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/french-phrasal-verbs\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T00:21:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T05:21:27","slug":"french-phrasal-verbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/french-phrasal-verbs\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Most Common French Phrasal Verbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you come across something untranslatable between French and English yet?\u00a0Well, I’m about to add one more to the pot: French phrasal verbs. This is one of those times when French is actually easier\u00a0<\/em>than English!<\/p>\n

All you need is someone in the know to be your guide and I’ve got it from here.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 15 Most Common French Phrasal Verbs<\/h2>\n

1. To give birth \u2014 Mettre bas<\/em><\/h3>\n

The phrasal verb\u00a0mettre bas<\/em> in French means “to give birth.”<\/p>\n

This is a drastically different meaning from that of\u00a0the verb\u00a0mettre<\/em> on its own, which simply means “to put.” And with\u00a0bas<\/em> meaning “bottom” or “low,” the combination literally translates to “to put low” which seems like an odd way to say “to give birth.” In any case, check out this phrasal verb in action.<\/p>\n

Elle va\u00a0mettre bas<\/strong> Samedi.
\n<\/em>She will give birth on Saturday.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 To disregard \u2014 Passer outre<\/em><\/h3>\n

Another phrasal verb that has a meaning that isn’t quite the sum of its parts is\u00a0passer outre<\/em>. When put together, these two words have the literal translation of “to pass beyond,” but in fact, this combination means “to disregard.”<\/p>\n

Je passe outre<\/strong> aux affirmations des enfants.
\n<\/em>I disregard the children’s claims.<\/p>\n

3. To run after \u2014 Courir apr\u00e8s<\/em><\/h3>\n

And now: A literal phrasal verb. When put together, the words\u00a0courir apr\u00e8s<\/em>\u00a0mean “to run after,” and that’s exactly what they’re intended to mean.<\/p>\n

Il court apr\u00e8s<\/strong> le chien.<\/em>
\nHe chases after the dog.<\/p>\n

4. To go toward\/to go around \u2014 Aller vers<\/em><\/h3>\n

And the simplicity stops here.<\/p>\n

The phrasal verb\u00a0aller vers<\/em> has the literal meaning “to go toward,” as in heading toward a certain place, but it can also mean “to go around,” as in going somewhere at a certain time. Check out these examples to learn the differences.<\/p>\n

Tu vas vers<\/strong> la biblioth\u00e8que.<\/em>
\nYou go toward the library.<\/p>\n

Nous allons<\/strong> (\u00e0 la biblioth\u00e8que) vers<\/strong> 4 heures.<\/em>
\nWe are going to the library around 4 o’clock.<\/p>\n

5. To succeed by \u2014 Arriver par<\/em><\/h3>\n

The phrasal verb\u00a0arriver par<\/em> has another figurative meaning. Instead of meaning “to arrive by,” it actually means “to succeed by.”<\/p>\n

Il arrive par<\/strong> \u00e9tudiant\u00a0avant d’\u00e9crire le test.<\/em>
\nHe succeeds by studying before writing the test.<\/p>\n

6. To have need of \u2014 Avoir besoin de<\/em><\/h3>\n

Unlike in English, the verb “to need” isn’t a single verb in French. In fact, it’s a whole three words that translate literally to “to have need of.” If you think about it that way when you speak, things make a lot more sense.<\/p>\n

Nous avons besoin d’<\/strong>aide.<\/em>
\nWe need help.<\/p>\n

This one isn’t\u00a0technically a phrasal verb, but it’s a very common verb + noun combo that you’ll need to know.\u00a0The next two phrasal verbs on the list follow suit!<\/p>\n

7. To be afraid of \u2014 Avoir peur de<\/em><\/h3>\n

Another three-word phrasal verb that’s only one single word in French is\u00a0avoir peur de<\/em>\u00a0and it means “to fear” or “to be afraid of.” Check it out in action!<\/p>\n

J’ai peur des<\/strong> serpents.<\/em>
\nI fear\/am afraid of snakes.<\/p>\n

8. To be hungry\/to be thirsty \u2014 Avoir faim<\/em>\/Avoir\u00a0<\/i>soif<\/i><\/i><\/h3>\n

More phrasal verbs to do with states of being are\u00a0avoir faim<\/em> and\u00a0avoir soif<\/em>.\u00a0Avoir faim<\/em> means “to be hungry” and the verb\u00a0avoir soif<\/em> means “to be thirsty.”<\/p>\n

Note, however, that in French, you aren’t<\/em> hungry or thirsty. Rather, you\u00a0have<\/em> hunger or thirst.<\/p>\n

Elle a faim <\/strong>apr\u00e8s son voyage. <\/em>
\nShe is hungry after her trip.<\/p>\n

Il a soif<\/strong> apr\u00e8s l’exercice.<\/em>
\nHe is thirsty after exercise.<\/p>\n

9. To look out on \u2014 Donner sur<\/em><\/h3>\n

This verb literally translates to “to give on,” but donner sur<\/i> actually means “to look out on.” Check it out in a phrase!<\/p>\n

Les chambres\u00a0donnent sur<\/strong> la mer.<\/em>
\nThe rooms look out over the ocean.<\/p>\n

10. To join \u2014 Entrer dans<\/em><\/h3>\n

Yes,\u00a0entrer dans<\/em>. Nope, it doesn’t mean “to enter into.” In fact, this phrasal verb means “to join.” Check it out in a sentence.<\/p>\n

J’entre dans la danse.<\/em>
\nI join the party.<\/p>\n

11. To end up__ \u2014 Finir par<\/em><\/h3>\n

Instead of meaning, “to finish by,”\u00a0finir par<\/i> means “to end up ___ing.” Check out this example for clarification.<\/p>\n

Samedis, nous finissons par<\/strong> aller au cin\u00e9ma<\/em>.
\n<\/em>On Saturdays, we end up going to the movies.<\/p>\n

12. To look through (one’s pockets) \u2014 Fouiller dans (les poches)<\/em><\/h3>\n

This phrasal verb is a little particular. Fouiller dans<\/em> means “to look through” and it’s most often followed by\u00a0les poches<\/em> to give the meaning “to look through one’s pockets”.<\/p>\n

Elle fouille dans<\/strong> les poches et elle trouve un stylo.<\/em>
\nShe looks through her pockets and she finds a pen.<\/p>\n

13. To swear by \u2014 Jurer par<\/em><\/h3>\n

A return to straightforwardness. The phrase\u00a0jurer par<\/em> means exactly what you think it would mean: “to swear by.”<\/p>\n

Ils jurent par<\/strong> ce restaurant-l\u00e0.<\/em>
\nThey swear by that restaurant.<\/p>\n

14. To leave for \u2014 Partir pour<\/em><\/h3>\n

Partir pour<\/em> is another phrasal verb that means exactly what you think it would mean because it’s the sum of its parts. The words together mean “to leave for.”<\/p>\n

Je pars pour<\/strong> Provence demain.<\/em>
\nI leave for Provence tomorrow.<\/p>\n

15. To visit \u2014 Rendre visite<\/em><\/h3>\n

And for your last verb, I offer to you\u00a0rendre visite<\/em>. Two words, yes, but its meaning is simply one. It’s literally translated to mean “to render visit” but it actually just means “to visit.” In fact, it has a synonym that’s just one word: visiter<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Elle rend visite<\/strong> \u00e0 moi aujourd’hui.<\/em>
\nShe visits me today.<\/p>\n

What’s a Phrasal Verb?<\/h2>\n

In English, phrasal verbs are very common. In fact, if you’re an English speaker, then you use them all the time without even noticing it!<\/p>\n

A phrasal verb<\/strong> is a group of words\u2014most commonly two words\u2014that contribute to a combined meaning. In English, the first word is most commonly a verb, and a second word follows to add more meaning or context to that action. Commonly, the second word is a preposition, but it can also be an adverb or occasionally something else.<\/p>\n

In English, instances of a phrasal verb are\u00a0“to breathe in” or “to breathe out.” Sure, the verb “to breathe” works well enough on its own, but adding the prepositions “in” and “out” gives us more context for the type of breathing. The addition of a\u00a0preposition changes the meaning.<\/p>\n

Let’s look at how they work in French. Actually, they work pretty much the same as in English. A phrasal verb in French starts with a verb and another word is added to change its meaning or add more context.<\/p>\n

Funny enough, though, French has a very limited amount of phrasal verbs compared to the vast quantity of English ones\u2014there’s really only a handful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To continue practicing phrasal verbs along with their conjugations, I suggest Conjugator-FR<\/a> or WordReference<\/a>. If you come across any phrasal verb conjugations that you find confusing, check these websites out.<\/p>\n

Make sure you practice over and over so that you can confidently use these phrasal verbs in conversation!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n\tIf you like learning French at your own pace and from the comfort of your device, I have to tell you about FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU makes it easier (and way more fun) to learn French by making real content like movies and series accessible to learners. You can check out FluentU's curated video library, or bring our learning tools directly to Netflix or YouTube<\/strong> with the FluentU Chrome extension. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-french-with-videos\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nOne of the features I find most helpful is the interactive captions<\/strong>\u2014you can tap on any word to see its meaning, an image, pronunciation, and other examples from different contexts. It\u2019s a great way to pick up French vocab without having to pause and look things up separately.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"learn-french-with-movies\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU also helps reinforce what you\u2019ve learned<\/strong> with personalized quizzes. You can swipe through extra examples and complete engaging exercises that adapt to your progress. You'll get extra practice with the words you find more challenging and even be reminded you when it\u2019s time to review!\r\n<\/p>

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\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer, tablet, or phone with our app for Apple or Android devices. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you come across something untranslatable between French and English yet?\u00a0Well, I’m about to add one more to the pot: French phrasal verbs. This is one of those times when…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":249716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"15 Most Common French Phrasal Verbs | FluentU French Blog","description":"French phrasal verbs are not necessarily as complicated as you may think. Here are 15 key French phrasal verbs that you'll hear everywhere, such as \"aller vers,\" \"arriver par,\" \"avoir besoin de\" and many more. We'll give you the definition, an example sentence and the pronunciation for each one. Let's get started!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,571],"tags":[],"coauthors":[176],"class_list":["post-118513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french","category-french-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/236"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118513"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240462,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118513\/revisions\/240462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118513"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=118513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}