Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| assister | /a.sis.te/ |
| être présent | |
| aller | /a.le/ |
| fréquenter | /fʁe.kɑ̃.te/ |
The verb is used to describe being present at or regularly going to an event or location. If you are talking about attending a school, a club or a place on a regular basis, fréquenter is often a more natural choice than assister.
Which one should you use?
The various forms available depend on the context: assister, être présent, aller and fréquenter. Additionally, participer à can be used to indicate attending an event or gathering where participation is expected.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using assister to mean 'to attend' something, you must use the preposition à to link the verb to the event (for example, assister à un cours).
How do you pronounce it?
/a.sis.te/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use assister as a direct transitive verb. In French, it must be followed by the preposition à when it means 'to attend' something. Also, be aware that assister is a false friend. While it can mean 'to attend' when paired with à, to say 'to help/assist someone' in French, you should typically use aider.
Did you know?
- While assister means 'to attend' when paired with à, using it without that preposition can mean 'to help' or 'to assist' someone.
- The French word aller for 'to go' has some conjugation forms that start with 'v' and others that start with 'i' because it merged different Latin verbs.
- Using assister à describes someone who is a passive observer, whereas participer à describes someone who is an active part of the event.
Examples in context
- Je veux y assister.I want to attend.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to attend using assister.Tatoeba #5290931 by Aiji, translation #5288569 by AlanF_US
- Nous ne pouvons y assister.We can't attend.This sentence is useful for expressing an inability to attend using assister.Tatoeba #4805482 by sacredceltic, translation #2241047 by CK
- Tom veut assister à la fête.Tom wants to attend the party.This sentence is useful for describing a specific person's desire to attend a party using assister.Tatoeba #12156112 by Taibouche, translation #5799071 by CK
- J'ai assisté à un séminaire hier.I attended a seminar yesterday.
- Je serai présent(e) à la réunion demain.I will be present at the meeting tomorrow.
- Je participe à la conférence internationale.I am attending the international conference.
- Je me rends à la fête chez Paul ce weekend.I am attending Paul's party this weekend.
- J'essaierai d'être de la partie pour le pique-nique.I will try to attend the picnic.
- 80 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking about an upcoming seminar.
- ManonLucas, vas-tu assister au séminaire ?Lucas, are you going to attend the seminar?
- LucasOui, je compte y assister.Yes, I plan to attend it.
- ManonC'est une excellente opportunité pour toi.It is an excellent opportunity for you.
- LucasTu as raison, Manon.You are right, Manon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “attend” translations and entries assister, aller, fréquenter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aller, assister, fréquenter, présent, être, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
