action
/ak.sjɔ̃/feminine
The English phrase "action" translates to the French noun action.
As a noun, action refers to something done to accomplish a specific purpose. It can also be used as an interjection to signal the beginning of a scene, such as on a film set. In this interjection form, it is pronounced the same as the noun.
Meaning: something done so as to accomplish a purpose (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun action is feminine. Because of this, you must use feminine articles, such as une and feminine adjectives when describing it.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ak.sjɔ̃/. It consists of 2 syllables.
When do people say it?
When you want to indicate informally that an action or event is taking place, you can use the expression Ça se passe. To informally encourage someone to take action, you can say Fais-le.
Did you know?
- While action means 'action' in English, it is also the standard French word for a 'share' or 'stock' in a company, such as une action en bourse.
- In a legal context, une action does not just mean a deed, but refers specifically to a 'lawsuit' or 'legal proceeding', such as intenter une action en justice.
- The word action evolved from the Old French forms acciun and aucion, which were later reconstructed in Middle French to align with the Latin actiōnem.
Examples in context
- C'est un film d'action.It's an action film.This sentence shows how to use action to describe a film genre.Tatoeba #6307976 by Aiji, translation #6374549 by CarpeLanam
- Oleg a arrêté l'action.Oleg stopped the action.This sentence uses action to describe a specific event that was stopped.Tatoeba #11958781 by Amastan, translation #11849832 by Amastan
- C'est un film d'action ?Is it an action movie?This sentence uses action in a question to identify a film genre.Tatoeba #4534333 by Sisyphe, translation #4530126 by CK
- Le rapport met en lumière les actions nécessaires pour améliorer l'économie.The report highlights the necessary actions to improve the economy.
- Le gouvernement a pris une série d'actions pour lutter contre la pollution.The government has taken a series of actions to combat pollution.
- L'action de la police a permis d'arrêter les voleurs.The police action led to the arrest of the thieves.
- Bouge, on va être en retard !Move, we're going to be late!
- Les festivités, ça se passe dans la rue principale.The festivities are happening on the main street.
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are discussing a plan to help a friend.
- EmmaIl faut passer à l'action maintenant.We need to take action now.
- HugoTu as raison, Emma. Qu'est-ce qu'on fait ?You are right, Emma. What do we do?
- EmmaCette action va vraiment l'aider.This action will really help him.
- HugoJe suis d'accord, commençons tout de suite.I agree, let's start right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “action” translations and entries action, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries action, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
