agir
/a.ʒiʁ/
To take action or do something to achieve a particular result is agir in French.
agir is used to describe performing an action or doing something to reach a specific goal. It is often followed by the preposition pour to express the purpose or the goal of the action, as in agir pour (to act for / to act in order to).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the verb conjugates as follows: Tu agis (you act), Il/Elle/On agit (he/she/one acts), Nous agissons (we act), Vous agissez (you act) and Ils/Elles agissent (they act). The past participle is agi (acted), and the imperfect form is agissait (was acting / used to act).
How do you pronounce it?
/a.ʒiʁ/
Did you know?
- The term agissement describes a set of actions, but it almost always carries a negative, suspicious, or devious connotation.
- The word agir was borrowed from the Latin agere and only began appearing in French texts around the fifteenth century.
- In French legal terminology, the right to agir refers specifically to the 'standing' or legal capacity of a person to bring a case to court.
Examples in context
- Il est temps de prendre des mesures pour résoudre ce problèmeIt's time to take action to solve this problem
- Il faut agir vite.It is necessary to act fast.
- Il est temps d'agir.It is time to act.
- Nous devons agir rapidement.We must act quickly.
- Elle sait quand il faut agir.She knows when it is necessary to act.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing a problem at work.
- ManonLe problème devient sérieux, Lucas.The problem is becoming serious, Lucas.
- LucasTu as raison, il faut agir maintenant.You are right, we must act now.
- ManonEs-tu prêt à agir avec moi ?Are you ready to act with me?
- LucasOui, je suis prêt.Yes, I am ready.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry agir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
