Verbs to use instead of être (to be)
Être won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, but here are some alternatives to our favorite standby.
1. représenter — to depict, to show, to represent, to embody
Les garçons représentaient moins de 20% de l’ensemble des élèves.
Less than 20% of the students were boys.
2. constituer — to make up, to constitute
Cette loi constitue une avancée majeure pour les droits de l’homme.
This law is a major advancement for human rights.
3. figurer — to appear, to be present
Votre nom figure sur la liste des adhérents.
Your name is on the members list.
4. s’éléver à — to come to, to amount to
La facture s’élève à 200 euros.
The bill is/comes to 200 euros.
5. atteindre — to reach, to get to
Ma mère atteindra ses 60 ans l’année prochaine.
My mom will be 60 years old next year.
6. rester — to remain
Les conditions restent favorables.
The conditions are (still) favorable.
7. demeurer — to remain, to dwell, to reside
La musique peut exercer une influence si puissante sur une personne qu’elle ne peut qu’en demeurer émue.
Music can have such a powerful influence on a person that s/he cannot but be moved.
8. s’agir de (used in the expression il s’agit de) — to be, to be about
J’ai lu un article dans lequel il s’agit du gaspillage alimentaire.
I read an article that is about wasting food.
Verbs to use instead of avoir (to have)
9. éprouver — to experience, to feel, to have
Sarah éprouve toujours des difficultés à trouver la maison de Jennifer.
Sarah always has difficulties finding Jennifer’s house.
10. disposer de — to have available, to have at one’s disposal
Charles dispose d’assez d’argent pour mener à terme son projet.
Charles has enough money to finish his project.
11. recueillir — to get, to obtain, to receive
La candidate a recueilli 20% des votes.
The candidate has (received) 20% of the votes.
12. posséder — to have, to contain
La maison de Scott et Laura possède un très beau mobilier.
Scott and Laura’s house has/contains very beautiful furnishings.
Verbs to use instead of dire (to say)
He said. She said. They said. We said. Easy to understand, but a bit boring. Try these verbs instead.
13. affirmer (que) — to affirm, say with certainty
Il affirme que les commerçants de la region s’en sortent « plutôt bien » cette année.
He affirms that the region’s shopkeepers are doing “pretty well” this year.
14. préciser (que) — to explain, to clarify
Le président a précisé que la loi ne s’appliquera que l’année prochaine.
The president clarified that the law would only be applied next year.
15. prétendre (que) — to maintain, to purport, to claim
Les résidents prétendent que le maire a utilisé un langage inapproprié dans sa réponse lorsqu’il a laissé entendre que les impôts n’augmenteront pas.
The residents maintain that the mayor used poor word choice in his response because he made it seem that the taxes would not increase.
16. souligner (que) — to emphasize, to stress, to highlight, to underscore
Le médecin a souligné qu‘une alimentation trop grasse et sucrée est nocive pour la santé.
The doctor stressed that a diet too fatty and sugary is bad for one’s health.
Verbs to use instead of il y a (there is or there are)
There are other ways to say “there are.”
17. trouver (as on trouve — literally “one finds”)
On trouve plusieurs variétés de plantes dans cette forêt.
There are several species of plants in this forest.
18. exister (as il existe — a bit more formal than on trouve, this translates to “there exists”)
Il existe plusieurs raisons pour laquelle je ne suis pas allée au concert la semaine dernière.
There are many reasons why I did not go to the concert last week.
Verbs to use instead of causer or être à cause de
Remember when you learned the difference between à cause de(because of, with a neutral to negative connotation) and grâce à (thanks to) and it totally blew your mind? These alternatives to causer and être à cause de are sure to have the same effect.
19. déclencher — to trigger
Ce genre d’extremisme pourrait déclencher une guerre.
(This kind of extremism could trigger a war.)
20. engendrer — to engender, to bring about
Sa duplicité engendre des conflits dans le groupe.
His duplicity engenders conflict in the group.
21. mener à — to lead to
Cela ne doit pas mener à la conclusion que la loi est inutile.
This should not lead to the conclusion that the law is useless.
22. déchaîner — to unleash
En Europe, l’immigration est un sujet qui déchaîne les passions.
In Europe, immigration is a subject that unleashes passion. (Which is to say, it is a widely debated topic.)
23. amener — to bring about
Ce travail est destiné à amener les changements.
This work is destined to bring about changes.
24. entraîner — to lead to, to involve
Une carence de vitamin C peut entraîner des infections.
A vitamin C deficiency can lead to infections.
25. occasionner — to cause, to bring about
Les travaux risquent d’occasionner une gêne aux clients.
The construction work might cause a disturbance to the clients.
26. aboutir à — to end up with, to lead to
La réunion a abouti à un compromis.
The meeting led to a compromise.
There you have it! Use these advanced French verbs to get you out of your comfort zone and up to the next level.
Think of these verbs as firm handshakes.
Use them, and you’ll be sure to exude not only competence, but confidence as well.
