avancer
/a.vɑ̃.se/
To advance in French is to say avancer.
The verb avancer means to move forwards or to approach. It can also be used when discussing schedules to mean bringing an event to an earlier time.
Meaning: to move forwards, to approach (verb)
Which one should you use?
While avancer is used for physical movement forward, the verb progresser is more common when discussing abstract progress or improvement. Additionally, the word progrès is used to convey the idea of progressing or moving forward, though it does not directly translate to 'advance' in terms of timing.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
avancer is a regular -er verb, which means it follows the standard conjugation patterns for the first group.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /a.vɑ̃.se/.
Did you know?
- In French, you use avancer to describe a clock that is running fast. If a watch shows 10:05 when it is actually 10:00, the watch is avancée.
- In French legal or financial terms, avancer can mean to pay for something upfront on behalf of someone else.
- The word avancer shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'anti', through the Latin 'ante' meaning 'before'.
Examples in context
- Vous devez avancer pas à pas.You must advance step by step.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use avancer in the context of physical movement.Tatoeba #6598689 by felix63, translation #6602075 by Eccles17
- Il flatte les autres pour avancer dans sa carrière.He flatters others in order to advance in his career.This sentence shows how avancer can be used metaphorically regarding a career.Tatoeba #11059006 by Aiji, translation #10681318 by AlanF_US
- Il a décidé de ne pas avancer ni de battre retraite.He decided neither to advance nor to retreat.This sentence demonstrates the use of avancer in a sentence contrasting it with retreating.Tatoeba #132812 by Micsmithel, translation #300719 by CM
- N'oublie pas de réserver les billets de concert à l'avance.Don't forget to book the concert tickets in advance.
- Tu devrais contacter le restaurant au préalable pour réserver une table.You should contact the restaurant in advance to book a table.
- Ses compétences en anglais ont beaucoup progressé.His English skills have advanced significantly.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are waiting in a queue at the cinema.
- ManonOn peut enfin avancer !We can finally move forward!
- GabrielOui, la file bouge enfin.Yes, the line is finally moving.
- ManonGabriel, avance un peu, s'il te plaît.Gabriel, move forward a bit, please.
- GabrielD'accord, je m'approche du guichet.Okay, I am approaching the counter.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “advance” translations and entries avancer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avancer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
